Red balloons, shared memories as Belleville students remember fallen classmate

The Lancers blue was replaced with bright red Friday evening as Belleville East students gathered on the school’s central terrace to release balloons in honor of their 15-year-old classmate, Jarod Rhodes, who died unexpectedly last week.

Red was Jarod’s favorite color.

Kaleah Harrel and Hernandez Brown, both sophomores at East, organized Friday’s event with the permission of Jarod’s family. In brief speeches, they remembered Jarod’s musical theater talent, bright smile and joyful demeanor.

“That’s one thing he never failed to do — make everyone laugh,” Harrel said. “If you were ever having a bad day and Jarod came around, your day would get ten times better.”

Police were dispatched to the family’s home in Belleville on the evening of March 3 on a report that someone had been shot. Jarod was found in the garage and later pronounced dead of a gunshot wound. Investigators determined the shooting was accidental.

Brown said when he learned Jarod had died, he knew he wanted to find a way to honor his friend. Brown said Jarod was his “safe haven” when he went through hard times.

Knowing Harrel was also a good friend of Jarod’s, Brown reached out and the duo got to work. Rashida McKinley, East’s assistant principal for the sophomore class, said she was proud of the students for creating the event.

Jarod’s mother, Shaunte Rhodes, marveled at all the students, teachers and community members who came to pay tribute to her son.

“It’s very endearing knowing they were all part of my son’s journey,” Shaunte said, adding that Jarod was also part of theirs.

Shaunte encourages students to attend Jarod’s celebration of life on Sunday at Faith Baptist Church, 405 East Main St. in Belleville. The visitation is from 9 to 11 a.m., with the funeral to follow. There will also be a reception at 2 p.m. at the Center of Creative Arts’ Staenberg Performance Lab, 6880 Washington Ave., St. Louis.

Both locations are of great significance to Jarod, Shaunte said. He was a devoted member of Faith Baptist Church and spent much time growing as a performer at COCA and member of its Allegro Vocal Company.

Read more about Jarod’s legacy at bit.ly/4uedNFF.

This story was originally published March 6, 2026 at 8:16 PM.