A makeshift shrine in front of Rocky Hill Middle School for Shiane Dixon started with a red candle, pictures of the dead track star and four stuffed animals.
As hundreds of teary-eyed mourners arrived for a memorial service on June 30, many dressed in bright orange T-shirts from the Maryland Titans' track club, the shrine became cluttered with balloons, several more stuffed animals and a track medal.
Shiane will be laid to rest Wednesday at 10 a.m. at the Inter-Denominational Church of God at 19201 Woodfield Road in Gaithersburg.
"She's more than just another student," said Stephen Whiting, principal of Rocky Hill Middle School. "She's family."
Shiane, 12, of Boyds was hit by a tractor-trailer after she was flung from an SUV June 29 as it rolled over four times on southbound Interstate-95 near Petersburg, Va., said Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corrine Geller. Shiane was pronounced dead at the scene, Geller said.
Diane Dixon, Shiane's mother, who was driving the vehicle when it flipped, was released Thursday from Virginia Commonwealth University Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, said hospital spokeswoman Malorie Janis.
Geller said Diane Dixon has been charged with reckless driving and two counts of failure to secure a child. The seatbelt charges each carry a $50 fine, Geller said. The penalty for reckless driving is 12 months in jail or up to a $2,500 fine, according to Geller.
Geller said police are still investigating the crash. Police could not say whether Diane Dixon was speeding or if she fell asleep at the wheel, but did say that only Shiane wasn't wearing a seatbelt. Diane Dixon could not be reached for comment.
Hassan Dixon, 16, Shiane's brother, was injured in the crash and was treated and released. Taylor Scott, 12, of Damascus, and Jordan Lusane, 18, of Boyds, who were passengers in the SUV, were also injured, but were treated and released.
Rhoshanda Pyles of Clarksburg said Shiane was at her home the evening of June 26 eating French fries with her daughters Alexus, 11, Brione, 10, and Cierra, 8. Pyles said her daughters and Shiane had been friends and teammates for four years. Pyles said it was difficult to break the news of Shiane's death.
"They were devastated," Pyles said. "That's their friend."
Alexus Pyles, Shiane's teammate on the 4x800m relay team at last year's AAU National Championships in Detroit, said Shiane "was a great friend" to her. Shiane, she said, "was someone everyone wanted to be around."
A phone call from her mother is how Emma Mazzuca, 13, of Germantown found out her former classmate had died. Mazzuca said she and Shiane had math together during the 2007-2008 school year. The two weren't "very close," Mazzuca said, but they were good acquaintances.
"I know she loved to sing," Mazzuca said. "She would sing in math."
Whiting said there is a garden behind the school that was going to be used as a memorial for former staff members who passed. He said they will be adding Shiane to that memorial during the next school year.
"She's one of those kids who's an honor roll student, bubbly, and a great athlete," Whiting said. "She was just an outstanding person."
The Rocky Hill Middle School Parent Teacher Association is collecting contributions for the Parrott-Dixon family at the school, 22401 Brick Haven Way, Clarksburg. Memorial contributions can be sent to: The Parrott-Dixon Family, P.O. Box 1165, Germantown, Md., 20875-1165. Her wake was scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday, followed by the funeral at 11 a.m. at Denominational Church of God, 19201 Woodfield Road, Gaithersburg.