Alva Review-Courier -

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Some graduating students are seeking to remember during commencement a Kansas classmate who died two weeks before the start of her senior year.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports 17-year-old Aftyn Hankins died on Aug. 2 following a car accident in Meriden.

As her classmates prepare to graduate, they say they feel a sense of poignancy about what might have been and want to see her acknowledged in some way at Saturday's ceremony at Eudora High School.

The students requested an empty chair and a mention of her name.

But the school's principal says it is against board policies that prohibit memorials and allow only eligible students to participate in the graduation ceremonies.

Some students are now planning to wear a ribbon and a photo of Aftyn pinned to their graduation gowns.

___

Information from: Lawrence (Kan.) Journal-World, http://www.ljworld.com