Buffalo Grove Student Dies While Scuba Diving

Buffalo Grove High School students and staff are in shock after the tragic weekend death of what a guidance counselor described as one of the school's brightest and most helpful teens.

Kenneth Uhl, 16, died Saturday while scuba diving in Kankakee County with his Boy Scout troop. His death is under investigation by the Kankakee County Coroner.

Uhl, who had just started his junior year at Buffalo Grove High School, was warm, intelligent, helpful and full of personality, said Maxine Levy, who was his guidance counselor.

"He always got the best grades in the class, and kids were never envious or jealous of that. He was like a brother to everyone. If they needed help understanding something, he would help them. And he always had a smile on his face," Levy said.

Uhl was on the school's Math and Scholastic Bowl teams, and was taking four Advanced Placement classes this semester, Levy said. He was working toward Eagle Scout status, the highest rank within the Boy Scouts of America.

On Monday, counselors visited each of Uhl's classes to talk with students, and additional counselors are on hand to offer support this week, she said.

Associate Principal Rob Hartwig said most of the students who visited the counselors Monday were juniors, and many had known Uhl since elementary school.

"It's been tough. It's a tough situation," he said.

Staff members are also struggling with Uhl's death, Levy said. A substitute teacher was ready to step in to relieve any teachers who needed time away from class, she said.

"Teachers are very broken up about this as well," Levy said.

"We support the students, we support each other, and we support the families of our students," she said.

"Ken was able to be all he could be because he had a warm, supportive family," said Levy, who also served as guidance counselor to Uhl's two older sisters, and knows their mother, who works at the high school.

Hartwig said the student-based BG Cares club met Monday to brainstorm ideas on how the school can respond to the tragedy. The club, which in the past has held fundraisers to support struggling families, will present suggestions to administrators on how the school might respond to the loss of their classmate.

Levy said she hopes students will use Uhl as "a role model for what a bright, warm person can accomplish."

"Hopefully, kids will use his memory as an inspiration," she said. "I think they are learning already from this tragic situation how important it is to make the most of each day."