After being in education for close to 30 yrs there are always kids that you have that have impacted your life. Mariana R was one of those.She graduated this June and today was going to be her 1st day in college. An excellent volleyball player.Beautiful both inside and outside.A caring student who smiled 24-7 for 4 yrs. Last Oct she was nominated for homecoming queen with 6 other girls.Another girl won but I knew Mariana was the real winner.That nite I gave her the flowers as princess during the cermony.But whispered in her ear"your my homecoming queen".The other nominee's might have been prettier in most people eyes but not mine. Throughout the year it became a joke between us. On our senior trip to Disney we actually had a mock ceremony as I crowned her queen in Magic Kingdom. The night of the Senior Prom she came over to my table,asked my wife for permission to dance with me.We danced to a Celine Dion song and one of the photographers took a picture of us.I told Marianna 'you look stunning,the prettiest girl here tonite." A month later at graduation night I got to pose with her mother and her in another picture.In her yearbook I wrote" ....to my homecoming queen....I'm not susposed to have favorites...but by far you are one of my all time...you care,you smile...I will always remember Orlando,the prom,etc Yesterday morning I got a call from one of my teachers.Marianna was killed in a car crash going to work at Filenes.She was to start college today.She had a 9.00 am class.She hydroplaned on a curve and lost control and hit a pickup head on.There was no drinking or partying.Just going to work at the mall on a Sunday morning. There was a rain yest morning and the roads were a little slippery. How an 18 yr life is taken away is beyond me sometimes.I have buried many students and of course many of my former basketball players.It happens in schools all over.But this one hits hard. Tomr is the wake and Wed the funeral.Today we dealt with many of our students and falculty.I went over her parents house and she is the only child.Her mother embraced me and wouldn't let go of me.All she kept saying was "she was your homecoming queen".Over her bed in her room was the crown I gave her at Disney.She was a homecoming queen...These next few days will be hard for everyone.But on my desk are 2 beautiful pictures of her and me at the prom and graduation.I'll treasure those forever.... 18-year-old Port grad dies in crash By Dave Richardson Times Herald-Record drichardson@th-record.com Friends and family are mourning the death of 18-year-old Marianna , killed yesterday in an accident in the Town of Deerpark. Police said ...., who graduated from ......High School this year and lived with her family in Cuddebackville, lost control of her car about 9:15 a.m. on Route 211 near the intersection of Route 61. .... was heading east when she failed to negotiate a curve and ended up in the westbound lane, where her car was struck by an oncoming pickup truck, police said. ... was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Her death sent shock waves through the community. she was a member of .....High School's varsity volleyball team and had friends throughout the school, Principal ......said yesterday. "She was one of the most popular girls in school," .... said. "She was one of those kids who always had a smile, was always energetic. She was the all-American girl." ...said crisis counselors would be available at the school. She was scheduled to begin attending SUNY Orange today, ........ said. "I know our school, our community and her family are just devastated by this," he added. The driver of the pickup truck, John Knapp, 38, of Suffern, was not injured, but two passengers in the truck were taken to Bon Secours Hospital, where they were treated for minor injuries and released, police said. State police investigating the accident said wet and slippery conditions on the road contributed to the accident. Other police sources said .......was wearing a seat belt. No citations were issued. __________________
