The Hicks community is grieving the loss of Cynthia Miller, a 14-year-old girl who died after a tree fell on her home during Hurricane Laura. A few faculty members at Hicks High School, where Miller was a freshman, described her as dedicated and passionate, among other positive characteristics.
“It’s just such a heartbreak and a tragedy,” Hicks High School Principal Rhonda Roberts said. “She was a brilliant, gifted young lady and a bright ray of sunshine. She had a spunky spirit, and she left an imprint on all of our hearts and will be greatly missed by all of her Hicks High School Family.”
Everyone described Miller for her intelligence and ambitiousness. Hicks High senior Chloe Wilbanks said that she and Miller were in gifted class together.
“She was just one of those people you could look at her and you could tell that she was just smart. She was a very intelligent person just by the way that she spoke, and it definitely is going to challenge the people around here to keep her legacy because she had a very strong one,” Chloe Wilbanks said.
Hicks High School Assistant Principal Jennifer Wilbanks remembered Miller as a leader and stressed the impacting legacy she leaves behind.
“She left behind a legacy for our students, one that exemplified leadership. She was so smart and anything she set her mind to she made sure that she succeeded at it. She’s left a huge role for her classmates to fill, but she’s left behind an example that they’ll be able to strive to work towards for the rest of their high school career and then there after they’ll always remember the legacy that she left,” Wilbanks said.
Chloe Wilbanks said if Hicks students excelled in the classroom, that would help keep Miller’s legacy alive. “Because that meant so much to her, and I heard that she had plans of attending Harvard. So, she just always strove for excellence.”
Hicks High School did take on structural damage from Hurricane Laura, but everyone we spoke to really wanted to focus on the devastating loss the community felt from losing Cynthia.
“We were suffering the loss of one of our students, a tragic, young lady, a freshman…so it kind of really helps put things in perspective when you see the grieving that others are doing, while you know we’re just…these are physical damages that can be replaced,” Hicks High School Girls Basketball Head Coach Mike Charrier said.
Assistant Principal Wilbanks recalled her storm experience while she was hunkered down in a closet with her children next to her. That’s when she got the news of Miller’s death.
“I think in the midst of everything…whenever I received the news, being that there was a hurricane going on outside us, everything just kind of stopped. We were actually in the closet after I found out with mine (children) around me, and I just soaked up that moment for a minute,” Wilbanks explained. “I was thankful that I had them there with me and I could wrap my arms around them. It makes you stop and not take everything into account that we’re suffering from because they’ve lost a child. Whether our gym is gone or our houses are damaged, it’s put into perspective what we do have left and to not take that for granted.”
Wilbanks said Miller’s family is devastated, and it’s clear that they’re feeling the loss of a child.
“It’s hard for me to put words to that without having experienced it, but you can just tell that they’re grieving.”
She said that their community has always stood behind the school. Anytime there’s been anything come up, people have always pulled together and helped come out stronger on the other side.
“I know this is not going to be any different. I wouldn’t want to be in any other community right now because the support of ours is tremendous, and I’m so thankful for that,” Wilbanks explained.
Cynthia Miller is being laid to rest on Monday, August 31 at 6 p.m. at the Holton Cemetery.
