On Aug. 27, Sebastian Duncan, a 2016 New Trier graduate and resident of Glenview, went kayaking with his friend in Lake Michigan at around 5 pm. 

That night, the National Weather Service issued an advisory due to high winds and rough waters. Their kayaks flooded and capsized.

Duncan’s friend was able to swim to shore in Lake Forest where he began knocking on doors and desperately trying to contact authorities.

The widespread search that ensued included coordination among various neighborhood police and fire departments, and a number of other agencies including the Coast Guard.

Duncan’s body was found on the shores of Lake Michigan almost two weeks later on Saturday morning.

His death has greatly impacted the community.

“I remember Sebastian quite well,” said Duncan’s US History teacher, Spiro Bolos. In recalling a day when the class did a “Know Your Rights” activity, Bolos remembered him as “active, engaged, and fair-minded. He was also a generous leader. That’s exactly how I will remember him.”

“Sebastian was in my wood and metals class. He was very social and I will always remember his big smile,” said teacher Joshua Wood.

“The kid was so full of love and easygoing and cared so much about others,” Sebastian’s father, Tony Duncan, told the Tribune.

In a statement issued prior to finding his body, the family thanked rescuers and those who searched for Duncan. “We want to express our gratitude for the outpouring of prayers, volunteer support from the community and every action being taken on his behalf.”

The statement also included a message from Duncan’s friend, who said that “without Sebastian’s actions that night, I wouldn’t be alive today.”

Duncan had slipped underwater while the two were trying to swim back to the shore and did not resurface, according to a statement from the U.S. Coast Guard.