Among the empty desks in Charity Edwards' classroom sit two pots of flowers, placed where Breanna Boyd and Stacia Anderson would normally sit.
"They were great students," Edwards said of Breanna and Stacia. "Always in class. Always on time. Always prepared."
Edwards was the girls' senior English teacher. Seeing flowers instead of Breanna and Stacia has been hard.
"Taking attendance was probably the hardest thing," said Edwards, pausing to choke back tears. "To mark 'absent' next to the girls' names, that's been pretty difficult."
Difficult, too, for the senior class.
"It's just really been a time for us to come together, support each other and comfort each other," said Joy Quarmout, LCA's senior class president.
Quarmout says she spent Monday working through her own feelings, and helping friends deal with tough emotions of their own.
"It's nice having each other to talk to, and having the teachers be so reasonable and there for us," Quarmout said.
LCA is a Christian private school. Religious faith is being emphasized as a way for students to cope with their unexpected loss.
"Faith is the basis for everything we do," said LCA Principal, Tim Hahn. "Through our faith we're relying on Christ for support."
Another way of coping is through memorials. Students have written messages to Breanna and Stacia on the flowerpots in Mrs. Edwards class.
Seniors also wore their class t-shirts Monday, with Breanna and Stacia's signatures highlighted on the back.
Their names now stand out in bright colors, much like the girls themselves did.
"If you had the opportunity to know them you were blessed, because you could have met them and not smiled or laughed with them," said Quarmout. "You could see that they enjoyed every day they were here."
A memorial service for both girls is planned for this Thursday. It will happen at 6 p.m. in the santuary of Thomas Road Baptist Church.
The Boyd and Anderson families will hold separate funerals on the following dates:
Breanna Boyd: Wednesday at 1 p.m, Whitten Timberlake Chapel.
Stacia Anderson: Saturday at 12 p.m., Thomas Road Baptist Church (former church location on Thomas Road).
