KENSINGTON – Kensington-area residents are lamenting the sudden death of 16-year-old Kensington Intermediate Senior High student Brianna Silliker.
"Brianna is weaved into our school, she is a part of our school, and she was involved in every aspect of our school so it is a big loss to our entire community,” said KISH teacher Kelly Gallant, who first got to know Silliker when she joined student council in Grade 8.
The collision that claimed Silliker's life occurred Thursday when she pulled out of a residential driveway in her Toyota Echo in Margate and crossed into the path of an oncoming dump truck.
Staff and students at KISH struggled on Friday to face the devastating reality.
The school was open, but classes were cancelled. Several counsellors and staff were on hand to support students. The school’s Canadian flag flapped in the rain at half-mast.
"I think a lot of students are still in shock," said Silliker's principal Terry Foster, from his office on Friday. "There was a lot of crying going on in the hallways today. We're a community; if one hurts, we all hurt."
Silliker is remembered as an outstanding student who was involved in several extracurricular activities and volunteer organizations.
"Brianna was an amazing student and an amazing leader. She was involved in so many activities around here that you would be hard-pressed to find a teacher who didn't have a connection with her outside of the classroom," said Foster. "It's very, very difficult for staff because not only do you know her as a student but you know her as a student leader and you know her as a person outside (of the classroom).
"If you want to hold someone up on a pedestal as being the ideal, well-rounded student, she would fit the mould 100 per cent."
Silliker was selected by Foster as student police captain, she was actively involved with student council, was a leader with the Relay for Life fundraiser held by KISH each spring, she volunteered as a peer tutor after school, she participated in the Shad Valley program, she was a member of the PCH Youth Who Care Board, an honours student and much more.
"I had a student say to me today, 'I never once felt judged by Brianna', and that's true for everybody. She was the pillar of respect. She was a role model to peers; to staff she was a leader in so many ways," Gallant said.
Grade 12 KISH students have made a group decision to wear green and white, the school colours, to Silliker's funeral on Monday as a tribute to their peer.
