A statue of St. Carlo Acutis is displayed at St. Agnes School in West Chester. The statue was dedicated May 29 in memory of alumnus Kevin “KT” Donahue, a 2023 graduate whose life and legacy inspired the school community to honor him through the tribute.

By Elena Perri • Posted June 18, 2026

The tragic loss of an alumnus of St. Agnes School in West Chester inspired the school community to honor his memory and ensure that his life and legacy will never be forgotten.

Kevin “KT” Donahue, a 2023 St. Agnes graduate, was killed in a freak accident on September 2, 2025. While traveling to Malvern Prep that morning, an oncoming car struck a deer that flew into the windshield of the car Donahue was in. He was 16 years old.

A junior at Malvern, Donahue played football and lacrosse, and while he was known for his toughness and tireless work ethic, his teammates and opponents admired the sportsmanship he displayed on the field. The Prep has established an endowed memorial scholarship to help ensure that students who live like KT will have the opportunity to attend the school.

To honor Donahue’s memory, St. Agnes principal Sister Maureen Ann Donati proposed buying a statue of St. Carlo Acutis because he embodied many of the same virtues of the young saint.

“As a community, the faculty and staff got together, and we were trying to figure out ways to honor Kevin and support the family,” Sister Donati said.

At that time, the Church was preparing to canonize Carlo Acutis who died at age 15 after a short battle with leukemia.

Sister Donati recalled that at Donahue’s funeral, many people spoke about his kindness and humility, and his joyful spirit.

“I thought they had very similar traits in that love of God and love of supporting one another,” she said.

The middle school students and their teachers enthusiastically embraced the idea of buying a statue of St. Carlo, according to the principal.

Students and teachers organized a dress down day last fall and raised enough money to buy the five-foot statue.

“It was one big dress down day, and all these gifts kept coming in to help purchase the statue,” Sister Donati said. “We’re really proud of what we have done, and it was really driven by our students.”

A student-created code of conduct is displayed at St. Agnes School in West Chester. The code, based on the characteristics of alumnus Kevin “KT” Donahue, was developed as part of the school’s efforts to honor his memory and legacy.

The statue sits on a pedestal at the top of one of the stairwells in the middle school, and the middle school students created a new Code of Conduct based on Donahue’s characteristics that is now displayed on the wall near the statue.

Father Louis Bellopede, pastor of St. Agnes, led a prayer service and dedication of the statue on May 29.

“We were incredibly blessed by the beautiful crowd that filled our church,” Sister Donati said. “We were truly honored to have members of KT’s family, family friends, the St. Agnes Class of 2023, our wonderful parishioners, and our school students and families all in attendance to celebrate his enduring legacy.”

The principal explained that every teacher presented lessons about Carlo Acutis’ life so that all students learned about the saint before the prayer service.

“It really tied everything together so that Carlo Acutis’ life and KT’s life came together beautifully at the prayer service,” Sister Donati added.

She hopes the statue will inspire students to follow the example of how St. Carlo and Donahue lived their lives.

“They both were the person God created them to be,” Sister Donati said. “Our hope is that our students live out the virtues and gifts they have from God and know they can have a great impact on someone’s life even though they may never know it.”