REIDSVILLE, N.C. — A Reidsville High School student died Monday after she had a "cardiac event," according to Rockingham County Schools officials.
The student, Shakiya Wilson, was in 10th grade.
"Shakiya was the sweetest and most kind-hearted girl. She loved her family and friends with all her heart," wrote the Wilson family. "She brought a love and light to our lives that can never be replaced. She will be greatly missed for the rest of our lives. We want to thank everyone for the endless love and support at this time. Shakiya we love you and will miss you forever."
RCS Superintendent Dr. Shawn Stover said Wilson suffered a cardiac event during warmups ahead of track practice.
According to Stover, Wilson is a 15-year-old member of the high school's indoor track team.
While Dr. Stover said he never met the teen, he's heard great things.
"She was a really hard conscientious student, it's one of those students, I mean all of our students are those that you really like to teach. And when I spoke to the staff I said you know the great part of teaching is that you put your heart and your soul into it, you put your hearts and souls into the kids and when a tragedy happens to the community, a little piece of your heart and soul also goes with that," explained Dr. Stover.
He said both the coaches and trainers rushed over to perform CPR. EMS responded initially and treated her on the field with an AED before taking her to the hospital.
Dr. Stover said all schools have AED's and coaches are trained in CPR.
"It's just for instances like this. We want to be prepared for just that simple little automatic defibrillator that can make a world of difference for someone. And I believe in the past we had something happen here at the central office and we were able to use it and save someone. Unfortunately, in this case, that didn't happen," Dr. Stover said.
Both the indoor track team and football team were practicing outside Monday afternoon when the cardiac event happened.
While first responders tried to save Wilson, Dr. Stover said her teammates and the football players gathered to pray.
"They got together, they prayed for their friend, we hoped for the best and we're going to remember her appropriately and continue to provide support. We've had a heavy presence at the high school providing support for our kids and staff members," recalled Dr. Stover.
RCS said counselors are being made available to students at Reidsville High School during this time. Even as Thanksgiving break approaches, he said members of the crisis team will be available to talk with students through the break.
Dr. Stover said students still want to honor Wilson. They plan to hold an event Friday night ahead of the home football game.