My Daughter ~ My Best Friend


"Rachel" Momma Will Always Love You!!!


Kentucky Post

Car crash kills two Gallatin teachers
By
Debra Ann Vance, Post staff reporter
Flowers and handwritten signs from Gallatin County students already mark the spot where two young teachers on their way to school lost their lives. Favorite teachers, students called them. ''We will miss you,'' a sign reads. Christina A. Marrero, 26, a special education teacher and Rachel McCalla, 23, a fourth-grade teacher, were car pooling to Gallatin County Upper Elementary School Wednesday morning when Mrs. Marrero's Toyota Corolla turned into a path of a dump truck at U.S. 42 and Highway 14 in Verona. The car caught fire and the women were severely burned, said Boone County Coroner Doug Stith. The accident occurred just before 7:30 a.m. No charges will be filed against the truck driver. Mrs. Marrero and Ms. McCalla were both first-year teachers. ''They were excellent teachers,'' said Superintendent Jim Palm. ''Both were very well thought of. Both were looking forward to coming back next school year. They were happy. They had a good year.'' The school of 200 students and 13 teachers knew something was wrong when Mrs. Marrero and Ms. McCalla didn't show up. It was the second day of state testing and attendance was important. The school knew of an accident, but didn't know who had been involved. It wasn't until 11:30 a.m . when the school learned two of their teachers had died. Mrs. Marrero lived in Florence and Ms. McCalla lived in Erlanger. They recently began making the 45-minute drive to work together.

Ms. McCalla's mother, Debra McCalla of Cawood, worried about the long drive and always urged her daughter to move closer to the school. ''She's my only child. She's my only child,'' Debra McCalla, repeated. Debra McCalla said her daughter always wanted to be a teacher. Rachel McCalla grew up in Batavia, Ohio, and Harlan,Ky. She put herself through Eastern Kentucky University working as a waitress. When Gallatin County offered her a teaching job, Rachel McCalla was thrilled, her mother said . She moved to Northern Kentucky from Batavia as soon as she learned she got the job. Before school started, Debra McCalla helped her daughter prepare her classroom. ''She was so proud and excited,'' Debra McCalla said. Debra McCalla said her daughter spent countless hours at the school and at home preparing for her students. She loved helping people, and was always patient with others. ''When she was a little girl, I always told her if God gave me all the kids in the world to handpick from, I would pick you because you're so good,'' Debra McCalla said. This summer, the young teacher surprised her mother with a heart-shaped mother-daughter charm . The mother and daughter each wore half of the charm around their necks. ''I said you should have waited until Christmas,'' Debra McCalla said. ''She said, 'No mom. What's wrong with having something special for you now'? ''

Palm said the school will bring in district's crises team of counselors and ministers today to help staff and students cope with the tragedy. State achievement tests will be postponed. ''We prepared a grief packet for all the teachers to help them deal with their own grief and the students' grief,'' said Palm. He said the school may hold a memorial for the teachers but is waiting for contact from the teachers' families. When word of the wreck came, the school contacted parents and invited them to come to school before telling the students of the deaths. More than half of parents were with their children when Principal Deb Brown broke the news to the students. ''They were in shock,'' Palm said. ''They were pretty well shocked, like all of us. It's so sad. It's just hard to believe.''
Publication date: 04-20-00



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