Students and staff members at Anderson High School gathered Friday afternoon to pay tribute to Tianna Harris in a brief ceremony that included the release of signed balloons.
Harris, 17, died on Dec. 28 when she was shot by her mother, Tia Holmes. Holmes has been charged with reckless homicide and two counts of neglect of a dependent.
Several students who were classmates of Harris for many years noted how much she would appreciate the gathering to honor her memory.
Alexander VanMeter said Harris was a great friend. The two had several classes together.
“I’m going to remember a lot about her,” VanMeter said. “Her smile, her laugh. How she cheered everybody up all the time.”
She said Harris was always friendly.
Nikki Brown, a nurse at Anderson High School, said Harris visited her in the nursing office regularly.
“She always had a big smile on her face,” Brown said. “I bought the balloons so her friends could write messages on them.
“I want them to know that we’re praying for the family and thinking of them,” she added.
Clayton Campbell was a classmate of Harris, meeting her at Highland Middle School.
“She was a lot of fun to be around,” he said. “I was really stunned when I heard about it and felt really bad for the family.”
Misty Adams, the assistant principal at AHS, said several students helped organize the event.
“The student council wanted to pay tribute to Tianna,” Adams said. “You can tell by the friends that gathered around today that she was well liked.”
She said the students and staff wanted to honor Harris in some way.
“We had a great turnout,” Adams said. “We didn’t know what to expect for her friends that wanted to honor her.”
She said although Harris’s death took place over the Christmas break, the school’s administrative staff has taken steps to ensure students have emotional and counseling support as needed.
This article appeared in The Herald Bulletin.