Bunker Hill High School was awash in purple Friday, in remembrance of a funny, kind senior who walked the halls only days ago.
Pauline Chao's favorite color was purple. In honor of her, many students donned purple shirts, hoodies and pants. Students and faculty also wore purple ribbons pinned to their clothing for Chao, who was killed at her home Thursday morning, along with her 20-year-old sister, Melanie, her 3-year-old brother, Cody, and her mother, Lisa.
Chao took her schoolwork seriously, but was still your average teenager, goofing around with her friends.
Mitchell Cha said Chao borrowed his phone one time and changed how her name was saved in it without him knowing.
"I was looking for Pauline's name in my phone and I couldn't find it," said Cha, president of the International Club. "Then, I saw 'Princess Pauline' in my phone."
He said he called Chao and she joked about it with him, adding she hoped his girlfriend wouldn't mind.
Cha said now, he plans to keep her name like that in his phone indefinitely.
"That's how I want it," he said.
Other people, like her friend Chalsey Garcia, remember Chao's friendly personality and said she never met a stranger.
"She would walk into a room and light it up with her smile," Garcia said. "She could always find the positive in anyone."
Family and consumer science teacher Janet Ward taught Chao in two classes. She said she didn't have to look hard to find the positive in Chao.
"She was the kind of student teachers dream of," Ward said. "She was hardworking and would do everything to the best of her ability. She would even stop to help others with their work."
Chao spent a lot of time helping her family, as well. Cha said Chao spent a lot of time babysitting her brother, adding that she loved him a lot.
He said Chao also talked about going back to California, where she was from, because she had a lot of family there.
School counselor Lorraine Swagger said Chao's death is particularly difficult for the Bunker Hill High community because of its nature.
"This is the first death of this kind that we've dealt with, that's not a car accident, and it's hard," she said.
Chao's friends made sure everyone in Bunker Hill High remembered her on Friday, scattering posters throughout the hallways. Some said "Gone but never forgotten, we love you Pauline," in purple marker. Others just said, "RIP gorgeous." Some advertised buying a purple ribbon to honor Chao, with the money going to her family.
Melanie Saephan
Melanie Saephan was taking health care management classes at Catawba Valley Community College.
Kim Ford said she may have been a quiet student, but she was involved in class. Ford taught Saephan in three classes last semester and one class this semester.
"She wanted to take classes on campus, instead of online. She wanted to be involved in what was going on," Ford said.
She said Saephan was a very good student who was close with two friends. Ford said the three of them were in a lot of the same classes.
"She was friendly to everybody, but didn't talk a lot," Ford said. "But she had good grades and did very well. It will be tough to see that empty seat."
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