By ALEX PIAZZA
KALKASKA -- Mikayla Gray's boisterous laugh echoed through Forest Area Middle School's hallways.
And Mikayla's sister, Kendra, helped students who struggled with homework on bus trips home from Fife Lake Elementary School.
Those are among memories the girls left for teachers and students following a Thanksgving Day crash that claimed the sisters' lives. A vehicle driven by their mother, Patricia Mensinger, collided with another vehicle on M-66. The girls died at the scene.
"These are not just children to us," said M.J. Grajewski, Forest Area Middle School principal. "They become our kids. These parents entrust their precious cargo to us."
Mikayla, 11, a sixth-grader at Forest Area Middle School, was "full of life" and will be remembered for the excitement she brought to the classroom, Grajewski said.
Kendra, 9, a fourth-grader at Fife Lake Elementary School, was smart and used her intelligence to teach others, said school principal M.R. Gillooly.
"It's been pretty rough on our staff and students," Gillooly said. "They were two sweet, great kids ... very caring. We were very fortunate that children of their age took time to help out struggling students."
Students will pen their favorite memories of the Gray sisters, both of South Boardman. A tree will be planted this week outside Fife Lake Elementary School where students can hang their memories, Gillooly said.
Police, meanwhile, continue to investigate the crash.
Witnesses told police that Mensinger's vehicle allegedly failed to yield at a stop sign, but a sergeant with the state police Kalkaska post refused additional comment.
Northbound traffic on M-66 has the right-of-way, said Sgt. Michael VanHorn.
"There's no indication the (other) vehicle was speeding," VanHorn said.
Ambulance personnel detected no pulse or vital signs from the Gray sisters, who were transported to the Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids, VanHorn said.
Mensinger, 29, and the driver of the other vehicle, Karen Daily, 60, of Grand Rapids, were treated and released from Munson Medical Center in Traverse City.
Daily was on her way to celebrate Thanksgiving with relatives.
A third child in Mensinger's vehicle, Troy Gray, 10, also suffered injuries. He was upgraded to serious condition Monday afternoon at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, said hospital spokeswoman Anne Veltema.
Funeral services for the girls have yet to be set.
