Bucks pupil on debate team dies during trip to Harvard

A sophomore at Holy Ghost Preparatory School in Bucks County died Saturday during a weekend visit to Harvard University for a debate tournament, according to information posted on the school's Web site.

Yuriy Tutko, 15, of Northeast Philadelphia, was a member of Holy Ghost Prep's forensics team and "passed away suddenly" while attending the Harvard competition, the school said.

His family could not be reached for comment.

Boston Police said officers were summoned to a hotel across the Charles River from the campus at 7:12 a.m. Saturday after receiving a report of a male drowning in a bathtub. Police said there were no signs of foul play, though the cause of death had not been determined by late yesterday.

In a letter posted on the school Web site, the Rev. Jeffrey T. Duaime, the school's president, said that the "thoughts and prayers of all of us at Holy Ghost Prep are with his family and friends" and that the school community "should come together as a source of support and hope for each other."

The Web site said a school dance was canceled Sunday night. A special Mass was held instead.

Holy Ghost Prep, in Bensalem, was among more than 200 schools from across the country attending the Harvard National High School Invitational Forensics Tournament over the weekend.