update 17.55 hrsStudents and teachers of Scalda, HZ and University College Roosevelt are ‘deeply shocked’ by the death of 20-year-old Rainee Laveist from Vlissingen, who was stabbed to death in Vlissingen yesterday. The drama also hits hard at football club VC Vlissingen and his employer Fundex Equipment. Rainee was a sweet boy.
Scalda’s technology student was at the Kickoff Festival at Bellamy Park on Thursday evening. There he celebrated the start of the new academic year, together with hundreds of other young people. Just after 10:30, Rainee tried to calm an argument, according to eyewitnesses. That action proved fatal to him. At about 10:40 p.m., Rainee was stabbed and succumbed to his injuries less than an hour later.
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Rainee was very popular in his class and with teachers: friendly, helpful, cheerful. He was known as a mood maker in the school: cheerful and with a sense of humor. Everyone will miss him so much
Karin de Bruijn, Spokesperson for Scalda
“That he tried to appease a quarrel, typifies what he was like,” said spokesman Karin de Bruijn of Scalda. She spoke to teachers and students about Rainee. In the school building on the Edisonweg in Vlissingen, disbelief and defeat reigned on Friday. “Students and teachers are in shock,” says De Bruijn. Rainee was very popular in his class and with teachers: friendly, helpful, cheerful. He was known as a mood maker in the school: cheerful and with a sense of humor. Everyone will miss him terribly.”
Board member football club VC Vlissingen: ‘A sweet nice boy’
Friends and acquaintances describe Rainee as a boy with a cheerful smile, with whom you could not easily get angry. He played football for VC Vlissingen from an early age. In May of this year he was part of the first team, which became champion of the fourth division in Saturday football. “It is terrible that this has happened,” says board member Peter Snaaijer of VC Vlissingen. ,,Rainee was a sweet and nice boy, who was very good in the group. He scored on his first-team debut last season. This season we have a bigger roster with the first and second teams and Rainee was one of them again. He was a real VCV’er. It’s unimaginable. Everyone is touched.”
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Yesterday we saw Rainee leave here at five on his scooter. For the last time. We will miss him very much
Reggie Thomaes, Director Fundex Equipment in Middelburg
‘Rainee had everything to become a good welder’
Rainee followed a so-called BBL course at Scalda, a combination of studying and working. In September last year, De Vlissinger started working for Fundex Equipment, in Middelburg, where machines are built. “This hits hard. After we told what had happened this morning, some boys went home sad. The rest are now somewhat paralyzed,” says director Reggie Thomaes. “The impact is very big. We have a company of seventy people and everyone knows each other. Rainee was eager to learn and certainly not only interested in the work, but also in his colleagues. Young people are sometimes said to be incapable of doing much, but Rainee had what it takes to become a good welder.”
Rainee drove to the company from Vlissingen on his electric scooter four days a week. Thomaes: ,,That step was characteristic of him. Yesterday we saw Rainee leave here at five o’clock. For the last time. We will miss him very much.”
Matches of VC Vlissingen canceled
In consultation with the KNVB football association, all matches of VC Vlissingen have been canceled for this weekend. The board will hold a meeting on Saturday at 1.30 pm in the clubhouse on Irislaan. ,,That way we can seek support from each other”, says Snaaijer. Out of respect for Rainee’s family, Vlissingen board member Ruud Pennings will not sit on the bench at RBC Roosendaal football club on Saturday, of which he is a trainer.
Scalda plans to hold a meeting for students and teachers. It is not yet clear when that will take place. The MBO school has decided to postpone some festive gatherings that would take place next week.
Reaction of educational institutions: ‘Deeply shocked’
The Kickoff Festival in Vlissingen was a joint introduction party by University College Roosevelt, HZ and Scalda. ,,The violent incident at the Kickoff Festival on Thursday was a traumatic end to a beautiful day. The organization of the festival is deeply shocked by the death of this far too young student,” the educational institutions said in a joint statement.
“Our thoughts go out to the relatives of the victim and to students and employees of Scalda. Many students, visitors and employees witnessed the incident. Together with the schools, we are doing everything we can to provide the right help to the students and young visitors who witnessed the incident.”
During the lectures on Friday, the events were extensively discussed. The schools have called in victim support. The HZ held a meeting for students, parents, teachers and deans. “This has a huge impact on everyone. We wanted to share experiences, reflect on what happened and hold on to each other”, says HZ director Barbara Oomen. “We are now mainly focusing on aftercare.”
Mayor Bas van den Tillaar of Vlissingen is ‘very shocked’. “We sympathize with the relatives, friends and fellow students of the victim. A beautiful, pleasant day for the students of the HZ, Scalda and UCR has ended in a horrible event that unfortunately many people have witnessed. The police are now conducting an investigation. That is why I call on witnesses to report to the police and to share any footage with them.”
The police have arrested a 16-year-old Middelburger and the investigation into the exact facts is still in full swing. It is not clear whether the suspect is also a student of Scalda.
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