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As Mounds View Mourns Students Killed In Crash, Friends, Strangers Offer Support

MOUNDS VIEW, Minn. (WCCO) -- We're learning more about the two students from Mounds View High School who were killed in an accident Thursday.

Juniors Bridget Giere and Stephanie Carlson were killed when the vehicle they were in was t-boned by another near County Road 96 and Old Highway 10 in Arden Hills.

A third student, Samantha Redden, was injured in that accident.

Mounds View students put education to the side Friday and focused on caring for one another. Counselors were available for all who needed help dealing with the loss of two classmates.

Students and those in attendance at Friday night's basketball games wore blue, the favorite color of the girls, to celebrate their memory.

Others across the metro wore green in a show of support for the Mounds View High School community. The memorial near the crash site is filled with flowers, candles, stuffed animals and anything the color blue.

Blue was the favorite color of Giere and Carlson, both girls remembered for their infectious smiles and friendly personalities.

Social media is full of messages of support from friends and complete strangers.

"The support from other schools, we have been offered help from so many different places, 'Can we send people over to help?' and it's so appreciated," Principal Dr. Jeffery Ridlehoover said.

One of those schools, Forest Lake High School, felt a special need to reach out.

"We just have so many connections with Mounds View through Bleacher Captains, super fans stuff," Lauren Kuchenmeister said. "Their tragedy is our tragedy."

Kuchenmeister is a member of Forest Lake's Bleacher Captains. This group of student leaders took it upon themselves to encourage messages of support for Mounds View.

"There wasn't a whole lot of ways to kind of make the pain go away, but it would be better to just show support for them so we decided to wear green," Taylor Berglund said.

"We're sending all of our thoughts and prayers to Mounds View's staff, students, families, friends. It's just such a hard time for them and if it happened to us we'd want the same," Kuchenmeister said.

The loss is great for the Mounds View community.

Giere was a three-year member of the tennis team. Friends say her humor, kindness and smile will never be forgotten.

Carlson will be remembered as a funny, smart and loving girl. Friends say she had an unforgettable laugh and radiant heart.

Mounds View is asking for continued prayers for the student who survived the accident, junior Samantha Redden.

Right now school officials say the support they are getting is overwhelming, they hope others are concentrating on wrapping their arms around the families of the two girls who lost their lives.

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