WEST PARIS – Students and staff at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School in Paris were coping Monday with the death of 15-year-old Thomas Boyd, who died Saturday evening of injuries from an ATV crash on Estes Road.

According to Maine State Trooper Matt Griffin, the high school sophomore from Paris was riding alone when he hit a utility pole on the private section of Estes Road.

“Boyd flew off of the ATV after the collision,” Griffin explained. “He hit the pole so hard that it split in half and landed on the ATV.”

Boyd was not wearing a helmet. He was taken to Central Maine Medical Center, where he died Saturday evening with his family by his side.

Griffin was unsure what led Boyd to hit the pole.

“The portion of Estes Road where the accident occurred is quiet, so there are no witnesses to help with the reconstruction of the scene,” Griffin said.

The road is a turn off Route 219 in Sumner and continues into West Paris for a short way.

Community members were reeling from the loss of the bright young man Monday evening.

Kevin Smart, pastor of South Paris Baptist Church where Boyd attended services, said, “Tommy loved to make people laugh just so he could laugh with them.”

“Tommy always had a smile on his face,” agreed Ted Moccia, Boyd’s principal. “He was a polite young man who was well-liked by all.”

Moccia said Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School provided counseling for students and staff Monday. A memorial bulletin board was also available for friends to record memories and messages.

“This is a very difficult thing for the school to deal with,” lamented Moccia. “It’s a tragedy that brings up a lot of emotions for everyone.”

Doug Twitchell, a leader of Boyd’s church youth group, spent the weekend counseling Boyd’s youth group members.

“They are just devastated,” Twitchell said. “Tommy was a quiet friend, but a very good one.”

James Bellman, also a sophomore at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School, said Boyd was one of the best friend’s he has ever known.

“Tommy was always himself,” said Bellman, who lists Boyd as his hero on his myspace.com profile. “He didn’t care what other people thought of him.”

Bellman and other friends are planning to construct a memorial on Boyd’s school locker. According to Bellman, they are going to post pictures, messages, and other memorabilia as a tribute to Boyd.

“I am going to miss our times in study hall together,” Bellman mourned. “We had so much fun hanging out and just being ourselves.”

Over the summer, Boyd had been traveling with Twitchell to assist with ministries at other churches. According to Twitchell, Boyd, who was in charge of running Twitchell’s sound system, never missed an opportunity to help.

“Tommy was so dedicated,” recalled Twitchell. “We do a service at the Norway convalescent center on the first Sunday of every month, and Tommy was always there willing to assist in any way he could.”

A memorial service will be held for Boyd at 1 p.m. Thursday at the South Paris Baptist Church on Route 26.