Teen Death Toll in Crashes Spirals Up

The Cruz family emigrated from the Salvadoran city of Ahuachapan, near the Guatemalan border, in 1987, Ana Maria Cruz said. Christian was born three years later and grew up in Silver Spring, attending Broad Acres Elementary School. He fell in love with American football and professional wrestling, the latter passion emblazoned on his shirt in the picture that adorns his school ID.

Cruz lived with his parents in a small apartment. At Springbrook High School, he "was in the middle -- not the best, not the worst," his mother recalled. He fell behind and started his fourth year as a junior, but he sought to catch up and graduate with his class in June.

A card circulated at Springbrook yesterday among his circle of friends. Several classmates suggested that he be memorialized with his class at graduation.

"Even though we call him a junior, he was really trying to pull things together to finish this year," said Michael Durso, principal of Springbrook. He and the students observed a moment of silence yesterday morning.

Two more lost lives were remembered yesterday morning by hundreds of people who filled churches in La Plata and Fort Washington.

At Fort Foote Baptist Church in Fort Washington, an open coffin held Jonathan Chapman, with his National Honor Society sash and a pair of drumsticks. A basketball sat atop the coffin, a symbol of his commitment to the La Plata High School basketball team and his dream to play in the National Basketball Association.

Lisa Chapman, Jonathan's mother, wept as she spoke of her son's lofty ambitions and early successes. He had hoped to attend Morehouse College and earn an engineering degree.

"He had a four-year plan taped to the mirror, and on the bottom it said, 'Trust in God,' " she said. "He had a list of 16 schools he wanted to apply to."

La Plata basketball players arrived at Fort Foote from First Baptist Church in La Plata, where they had mourned another teammate, 15-year-old Dionnte Swinson. A third player, Donte Segar, 14, was buried Saturday, and a funeral for Tavonne Alston, 16, is scheduled for Friday morning at Union Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Brandywine.

At the service for Dionnte, family and friends remembered his faith and service to others. Known to friends as Dion, he participated in youth ministries and was always proud to bring his friends to church, said Jacqueline Williams, a church member.

Katherine Miles, a mathematics teacher at La Plata High School, said the sophomore excelled in math, was talkative and "had more than enough life for everybody."

In addition to Cruz and the four La Plata students, two Calvert County teens died after a Nov. 5 collision between their Dodge Caravan and a box truck. Driver Alyson M. Purvis, 17, died immediately, and her brother Ryan, 14, died later. They and two other students were on their way to Northern High School in Owings.

That crash, like the others, involved a relatively inexperienced driver, a large number of passengers and a dangerous hour of travel. But Alyson Purvis had been licensed long enough to carry her passengers to school.

Staff writers Christy Goodman and Debbi Wilgoren and researcher Rena Kirsch contributed to this report.