A musician who graduated from Tamaqua Area High School released a musical tribute today that he made for a fellow student who died of an overdose last year.

Jake Kulick, a member of the Tamaqua class of 2010, wrote a song titled “H” for heroin, using lyrics from a poem written by 2011 graduate Alexandria Sienkiewicz.Kulick said he released his documentary and song “H” today at noon on his website, kulickofficial.com.Sienkiewicz died in April at the age of 23.After some time, Kulick, who lives in Poughkeepsie, New York, said Sienkiewicz’s parents reached out to him on Facebook.“They sent me her poem; they knew that I was a musician, and to see if I would make it into a song,” he said.“That’s why I wanted to do a documentary, too.”Kulick said the documentary is a little over nine minutes long.“The song is her poem; it was self-recorded,” he said. “The documentary is a back-story about her life and the heroin epidemic in Tamaqua and surrounding areas, to raise awareness for overdoses and to promote the song.”Kulick said Sienkiewicz didn’t have a title for her poem.“So I named it ‘H,’ a street name for heroin,” he said. “I kind of wanted people to see that and not know why I did with one letter, or that ‘H’ means heroin.”Kulick said he decided to write the song because, “I kind of just really wanted to help the family as much as I could.“I kind of just knew that doing the song would mean the world to them. I sent the song, they heard it already. They’re just blown away with it,” he said. “You can’t ask for anything better than that; it’s humbling.”Kulick said he uses his music as a form of therapy.“Her poem, it sounded like something I would actually write myself (like fate),” he said. “I just kind of knew it was the right thing to do.”Kulick said he believes it serves several purposes.“I’m doing nothing but trying to be a musician,” he said. “I want the area to know about heroin, and for the family to get closure.”Kulick praised his brother, Joel, who he said helped him capture the documentary, as well as friend and photographer Brenden Bugge.“I’ve also never filmed a documentary ever before,” he said. “It actually looks really good.”Kulick said they worked on the documentary first, which they shot in one day and filmed at the family’s house.“I kind of asked each family member, (her) mother, father, two brothers) about Alex,” he said. “For the song, I kind of waited until one night when I really was feeling like writing something in that poem. I kind of just waited for it to come to me. It literally happened within about an hour.”After graduating from Tamaqua, Kulick attended the Art Institute of Philadelphia, where he earned a degree in audio engineering.Kulick said while he was in New York he met some record label people, who are trying to help him.“I’m still in talks with them, and they really like this song,” Kulick said.He said he previously released the song “Goner,” and added that he will be filming a new music video called “Last Call” at the Hang Loose Bar & Grill in Tamaqua starting at 6 p.m. Thursday.As for “H,” Kulick said he hopes the song leaves a lasting impression on people.“I hope that people get a wake-up call and realize that if they are doing drugs or know a family member is doing drugs, there is help, and it’s OK to admit you are addicted to something,” Kulick said. “I also hope that the song will help people and motivate people to change if they are addicted.”He added, “I think Alex’s lyrics really resonate. I played it to people who have done the drug, (and it’s) important for people to know that other people are going through what they’re going through.“I also want the song to cause an emotional response from people, because I feel like the world kind of needs emotion back into it, especially in music, I feel it’s lacking a lot,” Kulick said.“I hope that when people listen to it they know it came from a true place, that I was doing it as a selfless act and doing it for the family and the area. But, for this song in particular, it was completely just because it was something I felt that I had to do.”Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9he4SJAeAsc