SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - Family and friends are mourning the loss of a 14-year-old from Springfield who died during a school field trip in Connecticut.

E’Mari Marshall-Woodard was a math wizard and a peer leader, and he told his mom he loved her every day.

Marshall-Woodard was on a field trip at High Meadow in North Granby when he drowned and died. He was an eighth-grade student with Springfield Public Schools who loved football.

The Connecticut Office of Early Childhood says that while High Meadow does have a youth camp license, it wasn’t set to start until June 22. The state says the drowning happened while the grounds were being rented out to the school, not during official camp hours.

That distinction is now at the center of an investigation. Officials are looking into whether this tragedy will prevent the camp from opening at all this summer.

The school district says counselors are available for any student struggling with this loss. If you would like to support his family during this difficult time, you can donate here.

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