Students Honor Florida Kids Killed by Mother
March 20, 2011— -- At a football field in Tampa, Fla. last night, more than 600 high school students gathered to honor two classmates allegedly murdered by their mother in January.
The students of King High School camped out overnight in an effort to raise $150,000 for the programs and services of the American Cancer Society. From the signs lining the parking lot to the T-shirts worn by the cancer survivors who attended the event, the home of the Lions was painted in purple as the school hosted its sixth annual student-run Relay for Life.
This year's Relay for Life was dedicated to the memory of former classmate Calyx Schenecker, 16, and her younger brother Beau, 13. In January, the siblings were allegedly fatally shot by their mother, Julie Powers Schenecker. The Florida mom has pleaded not guilty to two first-degree murder charges and is being held without bond in Hillsborough County.
At the time of the shooting, Calyx was a sophomore and working hard alongside her classmates and teachers to raise money for the American Cancer Society, an organization friends said she passionately supported.
Calyx, remembered in the community as a devoted friend, classmate and teammate, had been named captain of one of the school's 50 relay teams. Members of her team, Wizarding Independence Day, chose to keep Calyx as their captain to honor their friend's dedication to helping others.
Marge Terp and Emily Kolilas, both 17, who were selected as chair and co-chair of this year's Relay for Life, told ABC News it is important for them to honor and remember Calyx the way she would want to be remembered.
The girls said dedicating this year's event to Calyx and Beau is a good way for the children's family and friends to come together.
At 10 o'clock Saturday night, the lights at the stadium went dim and all participants and visitors took part in a Remembrance Ceremony for Calyx. Blue and green luminarias with photos of Calyx and Beau lined the football field. Army Col. Parker Schenecker, the children's father, joined members of King High School PRIDE musical group on stage where the choir put to music a poem that one of Calyx's friends had written in the lost teen's memory.
