Waubonsie Valley High students mourn death of senior

Grief counselors again will be on hand Monday at Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora and the high school's Frontier Campus as students mourn Jacqueline Avila, a senior who died in a car crash last week on her way to visit a university.

The crisis team went to both locations on Friday as well following the 17-year-old's death.

"(She was) just a really nice girl. A good student, had a lot of friends," said Waubonsie Valley Principal Kristine Marchiando. "It is a real loss for our school. The kids and staff are really struggling with it. At Waubonsie, everybody is like a family. We're all trying to take care of each other."

Avila, who excelled at French and also ran on the school's cross country team, died Thursday morning after her father lost control of the family's minivan on Interstate 57 near downstate Salem in Marion County.

They were on their way to visit the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville where Avila was considering attending next year.

Aurora residents Jose and Maria Avila, the parents of Jacqueline and Alejandra, were listed in critical condition Saturday afternoon at St. Louis University Hospital in Missouri, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Aurora resident Jaemelyn Cruz, a sophomore at Metea Valley High School, spoke to Jackie Avila's younger sister, 14-year-old Alejandra, Saturday, who also was injured.

Cruz didn't know to which hospital that was treating the younger Avila, who is a Metea freshman.

"I spoke to Ally and she said she's getting better; she's able to do things like eat and take a shower now," Cruz said.

Cruz met Ally Avila at school, and through her, Jackie.

All three played volleyball.

"Jackie was such a wonderful person. She was always just there for me, always ready to talk about volleyball or give me a ride home if I needed one. I knew I could always count on her," Cruz recalled.

Cruz said she'd heard that several friends of the Avila girls were trying to organize some kind of fundraising effort for the family.

"I'm going to do whatever I can to help, because Jackie and Ally have done so much for me, and I feel like I have to give back," she said.

Funeral arrangements are pending.