Iowa City mourns the deaths of a student and teacher who drowned during a school field trip

Iowa City, Iowa mourns the deaths of a fifth-grade student and his teacher who drowned during a school field trip. Iowa City School District told PEOPLE that Borlaug Elementary School took its fifth-grade students on a field trip to explore the 'School of the Wild' when 10-year-old Ahmed Osman fell into the lake. His teacher, Hannah Jorgensen, reportedly tried to jump in to save him, and they both unfortunately drowned.  

Ahmed's father, Mohamed Osman, explained the tragedy to The New York Times: “We didn’t believe he would leave us this soon,” Osman said. He left behind a lot of dreams.” The Osman family held a vigil to honor their late son and the 24-year-old teacher. Community members also reportedly visited Ahmed's mother's workplace to pay their respects.

Photo/The Osman family

PEOPLE reported: The incident occurred at Lake Macbride State Park near the Coralville Reservoir spillway on Tuesday, September 22, according to a news release from the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.

At about 12:43 p.m. local time, responders recovered one victim, later identified as Jorgensen, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

While responders searched for Ahmed throughout the evening on September 22, they suspended efforts overnight and resumed the following morning. His body was recovered from the reservoir the next day.

Ahmed is Sudanese. His community, along with the rest of the Iowa City area, has fully supported the fifth-grader's family and his teacher.

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Hannah was reportedly a second-year fifth-grade teacher at Borlaug Elementary School. She was from the area and graduated from Solon High School in Solon, near Iowa City.

Hannah's funeral is on Monday, September 28, 2026, at 11 a.m., at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Coralville, Iowa. 

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