Flowers, teddy bears, pictures and cards served as a memorial Friday along County Road 96 in Arden Hills for the two Mounds View High School students who died in a car crash Thursday.

A day after their deaths, students and educators who knew the two were left with feelings of sadness and loss.

School officials identified the students — Bridget Giere, 16, and Stephanie Carlson, 16 — on Friday.

A third student who was in the car at the time of the crash — Samantha “Sammy” Redden, 17 — remained hospitalized, though in stable condition, according to school officials.

The three friends were driving to school at the time of the crash. About 7 a.m., they turned left from westbound Highway 96 onto Old Highway 10 and were struck by a vehicle traveling east on 96.

“As you can imagine, there is a great sense of sadness and loss, yet we’re also feeling hopeful for Sammy’s condition,” Mounds View High School Principal Jeffery Ridlehoover said in a message sent to the families of students. “It’s difficult to see so many heartbroken people, yet it’s inspiring to witness all the acts of compassion we’re showing each other.”

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Body of kayaker recovered from Long Lake; woman missing since Saturday Grief counselors were available to Mounds View students and at a community gathering at a vigil held at the school Thursday night.

Students planned the vigil and “thoughtfully” selected music for it, said Mounds View Dean Mark Nelson, who worked with Carlson.

“It set the mood for healing,” Nelson said. “Really, there wasn’t much said. There were just a lot of people that were able to be together supporting one another.”

That support continued through the school day Friday, with students making banners to sign and hugging each other in the hallways. They also wore blue — the girls’ favorite color — in remembrance of their classmates, Nelson said.

Students at Irondale High School chose to wear green — one of Mounds View’s school colors — in solidarity, according to Superintendent Chris Lennox.

The Irondale halls were a sea of green as we stand strong with our Mounds View family. 💚 #MVstrong @moundsviewhigh pic.twitter.com/Wg4ZCQHVka — IHS Student Council (@IHSstudco) December 2, 2016

Students also were grieving at St. Agnes High School in St. Paul, where Carlson spent her freshman and sophomore years. She transferred to Mounds View this fall.

“She was a wonderful young lady with lots of friends in our school — just lots of friends,” St. Agnes Headmaster Kevin Ferdinandt said. “They were devastated. They were so close to her.”

When rumors of the crash began circulating through St. Agnes, Ferdinandt called the junior class together to inform them of Carlson’s death and to pray together.

Nearly a dozen St. Agnes students attended the evening vigil at Mounds View, and St. Agnes held a prayer service for Carlson on Friday morning. Students also have been meeting with counselors and teachers and prayed with each other throughout the day, Ferdinandt said.

BRIDGET GIERE

Bridget Giere was a good student with a positive outlook and a bright smile, said Mounds View Dean Kendra Eckman, who worked with the teen since she enrolled as a freshman.

“Every day, she walked in the classroom smiling. … Bridget was definitely a bright spot,” Eckman said.

Fellow students remembered Giere as consistently upbeat and highly supportive of her friends.

“It’s obvious she had a huge impact on her peers,” Eckman said. “She grew up in our system and touched a lot of lives, including staff.”

Giere was a three-year member of the school’s tennis team, enjoyed working alongside family and friends as a cashier at the Minnesota State Fair’s Patio Grill and recently started a job at Target.

She wanted to attend college but had yet to discuss a specific area of study, Eckman said.

STEPHANIE CARLSON

Carlson was an intelligent and kind-hearted young woman who “had a quiet humbleness about her that drew people in,” Nelson said.

Her Mounds View and St. Agnes classmates remembered Carlson as extremely caring and kind to everyone she met.

She enjoyed her part-time work at Golden LivingCenter-Lake Ridge in Roseville and considered working with older people as a chance to give back, Nelson said.

She was also a fan of “Star Wars” and enjoyed baking, Ferdinandt said.

“Her fellow students (at St. Agnes) would ask Stephanie to bake cookies for them, and the next day when she’d show up with the cookies, they wouldn’t even be surprised,” he said. “When she said she’d do something, she always followed through.”

Carlson was on St. Agnes’ track team and planned to join Mounds View’s team in the spring.

One of her teammates from St. Agnes said Carlson always ended her races with a “huge smile” that never faded, whether she won or lost, Ferdinandt said.

All three girls attended Chippewa Middle School. Giere and Redden attended Island Lake Elementary School.

Their deaths remain under investigation by the Ramsey County medical examiner’s office. The cause of the crash is under investigation by the Ramsey County sheriff’s office and Minnesota State Patrol.