Tragedy has a sharp edge. It cuts deeply into people and communities and on rare occasions it reveals the power of character and the potential in every individual to give purpose and meaning to life.

The sudden death of Megan Walker, a 17-year-old Bangor High School student, has caused grief and has stirred the restless energy of confusion and frustration in her classmates. It has been a shattering experience, unlike anything in the collective, modern memory of students and faculty at the region’s largest public school.

Young people and adults who wonder why such unfairness can exist may never find a satisfactory answer, but for students tormented by the untimely death of a young person who touched so many others, there should be a productive means to channel the emotion of personal loss into something meaningful.

Schoolmates of Megan Walker and those who enjoyed her music, or who competed with or against her in athletics, should take the measure of what her life meant to them and translate that into an effort to improve the lives of others who also deserve to be touched.

People who die too young, but who manage to give so much do not need a memorial. They deserve a commitment to keeping alive the spark they kindled in the lives of so many people.