Memorial services are planned for two Shawnee Mission South High School students who were killed in a car crash last week.
On Saturday, two teenagers, Itzel Guerra, 18, a senior, and Jose Placensia Castañeda, 17, a junior, were killed in a head-on collision on Metcalf Avenue near Johnson Drive (the boundary between Mission and northern Overland Park).
Since then, two fundraisers have been gathering money for their families. As of Friday morning, a GoFundMe to cover funeral costs for Placensia Castañeda is close to reaching its goal of $18,000, and a Spotfund fundraiser for Guerra is also close to meeting its benchmark of $13,000.
Both donation pages are also being used for people to pay tribute to the victims.
“My parents are just really grateful that the community (is) supporting them,” Raul Placensia, Jose’s brother, said to the Johnson County Post. “That way, they can focus on themselves and and try to move through the stages of grief at a more peaceful rate.”
Memorial services are planned for both victims, with Guerra’s taking place this Saturday at 2 p.m. at Community of Christ, 436 Norton Ave. in Kansas City, Missouri.
Visiting hours for Placensia Castañeda’s will take place from 5 to 7 p.m., with a funeral mass at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Church of the Holy Cross, 8311 W. 93rd St. in Overland Park. He will later be buried in San Miguel El Alto, Jalisco, Mexico.
Guerra remembered for “making people feel loved”
Throughout the week, friends and family have been sharing tributes to the victims.
On Facebook, Aubree Kelly, a friend of Itzel’s, said that Itzel was getting ready to go to college after she graduated high school.
“Itzel was expected to graduate from Shawnee Mission South this May,” she wrote. “She was aspiring to further her education in early childhood development and was working at Primrose Daycare.”
Placensia Castañeda was hoping to graduate a semester early in December to pursue a career in welding or management, Raul Placensia said to the Kansas City Star.
Affectionately called “Flaca,” Guerra was known for her compassion and easy-going nature, according to her obituary.
“Whether she was on the dance floor, singing her heart out, sharing laughter with friends, or offering a helping hand to someone in need, Itzel lived her life with passion and kindness,” it stated. “She had a special talent for making people feel loved and valued.”
Placensia Castañeda was as quiet at home, but a joker at school and in front of his friends.
“He was a kind kid,” Raul said. “He always put others before himself. He was responsible. He was loving. He had some light-hearted mischievousness in his spine, but he always brought the laughter out of you.”
On Guerra’s fundraiser page, tributes to her are pouring out from people that knew her to strangers with a connection to Shawnee Mission High School that are joining to mourn.
“Her personality was so vibrant and her smile was always there for me in times I needed some light,” Morgan Manthe wrote on the page. “I will always miss her, no matter the occasion. She was so confident and full of life. I can still hear her voice and … her laugh made me laugh. It was so infectious.”
A “Remembering Itzel Jocelynn Guerra” page was created on Facebook to share memories and photos of Guerra.
Jose’s brother calls for people to use their seatbelts
During the car crash, neither Guerra or Placensia Castañeda were wearing their seatbelts, Raul Placensia said.
“I truly believe that if my brother had done that, he would be here today,” he said.
Not wanting others to experience the grief and loss his family is going through, Raul Placensia asks everyone to remember to buckle up.
“I’ve been trying to just bring more awareness to something so simple,” he said. “It (has) such a drastic impact on what will happen after an accident. Especially for people my age and younger, they try to be cool and whatnot. It’s a five second activity. You just do, sit down, do it. You’re set. That’s all you gotta do.”
SM South has been helping student deal with grief
In a message sent over the weekend to SM South parents and staff, Principal Todd Dain said services are being provided to students and staff dealing with griefs from the loss of the two students.
“As you can imagine, it will be an extremely difficult time for the Castañeda and Guerra families. Our hearts go out to them, and we will stand with them as they work to process their grief,” Dain wrote.
“Death is always difficult, but particularly so when it happens to students who are so young,” he added. “It will be important to recognize that all of us will need time to process what has happened and to express our feelings.”
Dain said school and district staff would be available to “talk with anyone who is struggling to handle their emotions around this difficult issue.”
Go deeper: 2 teens killed in head-on crash on Metcalf were Shawnee Mission South students
