La Crescenta Mourns Loss of Teen Athlete

"This community has such strong support," said Mulligan.

The entire community is affected by the loss of Polizzotto, said Eberhart. "Teachers are affected by this. Teachers live in this community. We are all connected to these families."

Students at CVHS signed a poster of support for the Polizzotto family Monday morning.

"We are all doing all that we can during this difficult time," said CVHS co-principal Linda Evans. The school is providing grief counselors for students and have formed groups to help students deal with the loss.

Polizzotto touched many people in her short life, said friends and family as they remembered her courage, her boundless energy and her unflappable positive attitude.

The community will mourn together as a family, said Berry. He is telling his students that this is what happens in the real world. He adds, "Value each moment you have with each other."

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Annemarie Polizzotto Memorial Fund established with Wells Fargo Bank in honor of Annemarie. Donations can be walked into any Wells Fargo Bank branch. Reference routing No. 121-000-248 and account No. 2577187896, the Tami Polizzotto Donation Fund.

Donations can also be mailed to: Wells Fargo Bank, Attention Third Party Donation, P.O. Box 5629, Portland, OR 97228-5629, or call Wells Fargo at 800-869-3557.

Geghard Arakelian contributed to this story.