COLOME - The Colome School District is rallying around the family of a high school student who died Thursday.
There will be no school in Colome today, the day a funeral is scheduled for 16-year-old Alexa McKenzie, who died at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls.
A prayer service for McKenzie was held at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Colome High School gym, and her funeral will begin at 10:30 a.m. today at the same location.
"Alexa was a fun-loving kind of girl who easily made friends and was always willing to lend a helping hand," McKenzie's obituary reads. "She enjoyed hanging out with her friends and playing volleyball. She also enjoyed listening to music and going on camping trips with her family."
According to the school district's website, a fund has been set up at First Fidelity Bank in Colome to help the McKenzie family manage expenses. Additionally, the Colome High School Cheer Team is sponsoring a fundraising called "Coins for Alexa's Family," encouraging students to bring loose change or dollars to the school through Friday to donate to the McKenzie family.
