Nadia Van Rosendael

I had dozed off after I had gotten on the bus. I noticed that the school bus wasn't moving anymore and I looked up at the seats in front of me. I was sitting in the very back, next to the heater. There were backpacks in the seats next to and in front of me, and jackets, but no people. I looked up towards the front of the bus and saw that all the people were in the front there. A short distance ahead, I saw flashing blue and red lights. I asked a girl on the bus who had a cell phone out, "What happened?"

An aquaintance of mine's life was ended a couple of days ago when she was hit by a small van while running across a busy street to catch a different bus to school. Although Nadia and I weren't very close, I had known her since the seventh grade. She was a girl who was not afraid to speak her mind. At times, she was angry, but mostly hyper, and never boring. My school days will feel incomplete without her happy, energetic prescence. Nadia and I had lots of good times, and the memory of her will be cherished by me and many others.

A day later I visited the crash site, the corner nearest where she was hit was covered with flowers, candles, stuffed animals, and balloons. Visiting the place has helped loved ones deal with it.

A news story about it can be read here: http://www.komotv.com/news/story.asp?ID=41489 .