Anson volleyball players honor teammate killed in March

A somber, teary-eyed crowd gathered last Tuesday night to release lanterns in memory of Shaundasia Smith, a 16-year-old Anson County resident killed in March.

Smith, the granddaughter of Sheriff Landric Reid, was a student at Anson New Tech High School and a member of the varsity volleyball team. She died March 29 after she was shot while staying at a friend’s house.

Immediately following the volleyball team’s senior night game, the team went outside with other students, school leaders and Smith’s grandparents to release three large paper lanterns into the night sky.

One of the lanterns was signed by the volleyball team, one by students at New Tech and one by students of Anson High School, according to New Tech principal Chris Stinson, who helped the team and Smith’s grandmother release the lanterns.

Once the lanterns had been released into the sky, Stinson called the group together and led them in prayer.

“We pray that they would seek God, to find that relationship with you so that we can lift into the heavens just as these lanterns did, Lord, and spend our eternity with Shaundasia,” he prayed. “And Lord, we just thank you for all your many blessings and our opportunity to spend days with Shaundasia. Lord, we have great memories of a very special young lady.”

Stinson said that the idea of the lanterns came from both the volleyball team and the girls’ parents.

“We just wanted to do something to keep Shaundasia’s spirit alive, and what she meant to the Anson County schools,” he said.

While the principal said that he has many memories of Shaundasia, he said it was her spirit and potential that he remembers most.

“I always tell her grandparents that her junior year, when she would go to school to present, I could see her working in any office building,” he said. “She just had a class about her and a professionalism about her that was evident in her presence.”

Smith was also generous, he said.

“She was very giving back to the community, and her grandparents instilled that in her,” Stinson said. “And so she was always putting others first.”

Stinson said that a purple crepe myrtle was planted at the former location of New Tech, and that it will be moved to the dual New Tech and Anson High School campus when it is the proper season.

Purple was Smith’s favorite color.

Sheriff Landric Reid watched as Chris Stinson, principal of Anson New Tech, helped his wife to release a lantern in honor of Reid’s granddaughter, Shaundasia Smith, who died in March.

https://ansonrecord.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_IMG_31041.jpgSheriff Landric Reid watched as Chris Stinson, principal of Anson New Tech, helped his wife to release a lantern in honor of Reid’s granddaughter, Shaundasia Smith, who died in March.

Volleyball players signed one lantern in memory of their teammate before the lanterns were released.

https://ansonrecord.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_IMG_31081.jpgVolleyball players signed one lantern in memory of their teammate before the lanterns were released.

Anson New Tech Principal Chris Stinson helped Shaundasia Smith’s grandmother release a lantern in memory of her granddaughter.

https://ansonrecord.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_Shaundasia-Smith-lanterns1.jpgAnson New Tech Principal Chris Stinson helped Shaundasia Smith’s grandmother release a lantern in memory of her granddaughter.

Before their lantern was released, the girls gathered and made sure each girl held part of the lantern so they could release it at the same time.

https://ansonrecord.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_IMG_31111.jpgBefore their lantern was released, the girls gathered and made sure each girl held part of the lantern so they could release it at the same time.