Students bustled down the Cardo on Thursday upon hearing the news of Queen Elizabeth II’s death. Clubs, preparation for the high school musical auditions, sports and eating all came to a pause as students took to the news for more information. The queen of England had passed away at the age of 96.

“I was in shock. It was during lunch and I was in a room with my friends working on something and then I came out of the room and everyone was freaking out. I didn’t know what was going on,” sophomore Molly Wollner said. “The rest of the school day my teachers were talking about it – it was just the biggest deal.”

Queen Elizabeth II was first announced to be in critical medical condition on Thursday morning as members of the royal family made way to see her at Balmoral Castle. Because of the privacy of the royal family, information traveled slowly to CESJDS students. This made the shock even greater for students who had only learned about her illness hours before.

“We’ve been taught to pay attention to history and we’ve been taught about the monarchy in England,” junior Ariella Litwack said. “History is a general part of our lives so by hearing this, we realize history is still changing and still being made.”