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FLORENCE, AL (WAFF) - For the second time this school year, Central High School students in Florence deal with the death of a fellow classmate.
Four Poster boards full of messages from fellow students were the final goodbye for a Central high classmate.
"They're talking to Britney and saying what they want to say to her that they didn't get to say," said Central High School Guidance Counselor Suzanne Huckaba.
Britney Lanier died Friday night after the SUV she was driving collided with a tractor trailer north of Florence.
A memorial was held on Sunday for the 17-year-old. On Monday morning, students were back to class having to cope with the loss of a friend while trying to stay on top of things in the classroom.
"This morning youth ministers and the counselors were available," said Principal David Corl.
The grieving process is different for each student according to school administrators.
Some students want to talk about in groups, others individually, and a handful just want to be left alone.
It's a slippery slope the school is trying to maneuver through, but it's not the first time they've dealt with it this school year.
In September, Harold Graham drowned in the Tennessee River near Waterloo. The Central High School student was swimming with friends when he cramped up and couldn't make it back to shore.
"We don't have all the answers and we can't fix it and we have the tendency to try to make it better and help them not to be sad and you can't do that. You just have to let them work it out," said Huckaba.
School administrators described both losses as a double whammy.
Students were just starting to get over the first death and now they're back at ground zero.
All those emotions are at the forefront again, but with each new signature and each new message school officials say it's a good start down the road to recovery.
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