IRWINTON, Ga. — Wilkinson County School District's superintendent Aaron Geter has known Tinetta Smith for years.
“I was very blessed to be able to hand her diploma," Geter said. "She walked across the stage and graduated from Wilkinson County High School."
Smith is a Wilkinson County native and was in her fifth year of teaching at Wilkinson County Middle School.
On Friday, Smith was killed in a car accident. Also in the car, high school basketball coach Xavier Whipple, who is still in the hospital facing serious injuries he suffered during the car crash.
Principal Tiffany Crockett said her death is an indescribable loss to her students.
"It's just going to be a difficult transition for them because her youthfulness. She was able to relate to them and they connected to her. I mean it was instant," Crockett said.
Crockett used Monday as a day to let the students speak their mind, write messages, and find ways to remember Ms. Smith.
"A lot of them they had to leave class and that was to be expected," Crockett said. "It was hard. It was a hard day today."
As they mourn Smith, the district also hopes Whipple makes a recovery and moves out of critical condition.
"He’ll always be like a son to me," Geter said. "He’ll always be loved by this community and his impact in particular with out basketball program speaks for itself."
That impact includes winning two state championships as a player, which led to his jersey being retired. He also helped the school win multiple state championships as an assistant, and winning his first state championship as head coach back in March.
"I think right now is to make sure that he continues to trend in a positive direction in terms of his recovery, and once he gets to that point of course we’ll welcome him back with open arms and just glad of the fact that he’s able to come back and continue to do what he’s doing," Geter said.
In the meantime, Geter said a memorial service is planned for Smith for Thursday.
"Now the homegoing service for her is scheduled at 1 p.m. on Thursday Oct. 26 at The Palace and I’m sure we’ll have a very big outpour of our community, faculty, and staff to support her family during that time," Geter said.
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