A growing memory of Kayla

BARSTOW - Kayla Crawford may have only been a student at Barstow Christian School for a few months, but her presence has been missed.

On Thursday, fellow classmates gathered around a small tree planted outside the schools office and dedicated it in memory of Kayla.

Kayla, 10, was killed in March when a truck hit her as she tried to cross Rimrock Road on her bike. A memorial of candles, photos and stuffed animals for Kayla sat at the corner near the collision for weeks. On Thursday, the school added its own memorial - a living one.

"I just can't wait to see the tree grow," said Anne Crawford, Kayla's adoptive mother. "Kayla has a permanent place in our family, and the tree is a symbol of that lasting effect on our family."

School Principal Becky Sullivan said Kayla has had a lasting effect on her fellow students as well. At first, the students felt guilty for not getting to know Kayla better, she said, but slowly they came to grips with the loss and learned from it.

"They found more compassion," she said. "They want to be nicer to one another."

Perry Crawford, Kayla's adoptive father, thought the dedication was typical of the students and staff at Barstow Christian.

"The friendship Kayla found when she got here was immediate and unconditional," he said.

The family, Perry, Anne and Kayla's adoptive siblings, Keisha, 12, and Clayton, 7, said they still feel Kayla's loss.

"It's still hard to be one less, the empty seat at the table - always singing, always dancing," Perry said.

Keisha said the house is much quieter, but she has lost a playmate. She maintains the online character Kayla created at the children's Web site www.mills berry.com, where made-up characters interact in the online town of Millsberry. Keisha said recently she took Kayla's character shopping for summer clothes.