A fifth-grade teacher and a 10-year-old student from an Iowa elementary school died after going into the water near the Coralville Reservoir spillway during a class field trip Tuesday, authorities and school officials said.
Hannah Jorgensen, 24, of Tiffin, taught fifth grade at Borlaug Elementary School in Coralville. Ahmed Osman, 10, of Iowa City, was a fifth grader there. They were on a School of the Wild trip at the Macbride Nature Recreation Area, the Iowa City Community School District said. The area is about eight and a half miles north of Iowa City.
The Johnson County Sheriff's Office got the first call at 12:10 p.m. Tuesday, September 22, about "subjects in the water at Lake Macbride State Park near the Coralville Reservoir spillway," The Gazette reported. Responders recovered Jorgensen from the reservoir at 12:43 p.m., and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Crews searched for Ahmed through the afternoon and into the evening before stopping for the night. They went back early Wednesday and recovered his body at 1:24 p.m. The Johnson County Metro Dive Team, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the Iowa State Patrol, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were among the more than a dozen agencies that helped, according to The Gazette.
The sheriff's office is investigating how each of them got into the water, KCRG reported. In a statement Wednesday, the office said the investigation is continuing.
"Hannah and Ahmed were deeply valued members of our school district community, and their loss is being felt throughout Borlaug and across our district," the district said in a statement Wednesday. "Our hearts are with their families and loved ones, as well as Hannah's colleagues and students, Ahmed's classmates and friends, and everyone who knew and cared for them."
The district said counselors and other support staff would be at Borlaug in the days ahead. "This is an extraordinarily painful time for the Borlaug community and our entire school district," the statement said.
School of the Wild is a popular University of Iowa program aimed at connecting kids with nature, and Ahmed's class was there for the week, The Gazette reported. KCRG reported that future School of the Wild trips have been canceled.
Gov. Kim Reynolds offered condolences in a statement posted on Facebook. "This unimaginable loss touches the entire Borlaug Elementary community and Iowa City School District. Please know that Iowans across our state are standing with you in the difficult days ahead," she said.
Borlaug Elementary had 405 students from preschool through fifth grade and about 32 teachers in 2024-25, according to federal data. It is part of the Iowa City Community School District.
Sources
ABC News: 5th grade teacher, student die during field trip to Iowa nature reserve
The Gazette: Bodies recovered of student and teacher from Lake Macbride
KCRG: Missing student's body recovered from Lake Macbride, victims identified
Enrollment and staffing figures from allk12's analysis of National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data, 2024-25.
