In a Feb. 27 letter to Bellarmine parents, school principal Mark Pierotti wrote:

"The news of Tom's passing had left many of us in shock. At these times, words often fail to convey the deep sorrow we feel and cannot adequately express, so we are left to communicate within the limits of our language and the depths of our hearts."

Pierotti described how "this morning the junior class gathered in the chapel during first period for a prayer service to celebrate Tom's life and recall his infinite gifts--humor, compassion, technological prowess and countless others mentioned by the adult and student speakers."

Trever Treadwell, a 17-year-old junior, said of Tom, "I've been one of his friends since fourth grade. We met at St. Simon, played sports together and grew up together."

Trever, who lives in the same Los Altos neighborhood as the Reyneri family, said he learned of Tom's death the day after it happened when he returned home from a track meet.

"I went over to his family," he says.

"Anybody who has come in contact with Tom knows what a loving, compassionate person he was. That's why we loved him. He loved us."

Dmitri Conom, yearbook adviser at Bellarmine, said he first met Tom a year and a half ago when he started working at the school. Tom worked on the yearbook staff as a designer.

"Tom was probably the most competent, advanced designer on this campus; he was light years ahead. This kid knew what he was doing. He'd come in and he'd dazzle us with knowledge," Conom says.

On a personal level, Conom says, Tom frequently "had this mischievous little smile on his face. You knew something was going through his mind, always for the better."

Tom's expertise in graphics was well-known.

Conom said Tom did the video editing for the DVD Bellarmine sends to prospective students.

Trever said a web search of Tom's brings up some of the many computer games he worked on.

In 2005, Tom won second place in the first High School Animation and Design Festival, judged by experts from Pixar Animation Studios and Industrial Light & Magic.

Tom's animation submission, titled "High Quality," won him a $2,000 software package.

Trever said he didn't know if Tom had decided exactly what career path to follow, but he did know "he wanted to do visual arts or some sort of editing."

Tom was a familiar sight at mixers, dances and sports events where he shot video.

The use of expensive school equipment by a student was never questioned, Trever said. "Tom could be trusted, and he knew how to use it better than any adult on campus could."

Tom and his mother Alyce had driven from their home in Los Altos up to their Lake Tahoe home early on Feb. 24 and headed for the slopes at Squaw Valley.

Taking a last run before lunch, Tom told his mother he wanted to take a different route and would meet her at the base of the mountain.

Tom never made it to the bottom. Apparently, he fell off a narrow bridge and landed face down in a shallow creek.

Although the route he took is one used by both skiers and snowboarders, no one reported seeing Tom fall. He was discovered by a ski patroller, who called for help and started administrating CPR.

Tom was airlifted to Washoe County Medical Center in Reno, where he was pronounced dead.

Services were held on Feb. 28 at St. Simon's Church in Los Altos, where about 700 mourners gathered.

Prior to the services, Tom's brother Philip, a 2005 graduate of Bellarmine, told a television interviewer, "Everyone loved him for his smile. He had a big heart."

In addition to his mother and brother, Tom is survived by his father, Justin.