Harwood Strong: Lives of five teenagers honored

DUXBURY - Five teenagers who were killed in a car crash on Interstate 89 earlier this month spent the last night of their lives surrounded by friends, enjoying music from a band at Higher Ground in South Burlington.

"I don't think they could have had a better last night," said friend Lauryn Green. She had also attended the concert that night.

Green spoke Monday night at a celebration of the teenagers' lives held at Harwood Union High School in Duxbury.

Hundreds of people attended the event in the high school's gymnasium two weeks after the crash. Many wore black and gold ribbons, the school colors of Harwood Union.

Posters showing the smiling faces of Eli Brookens, Jamie Chase Cozzi, Liam Hale, Mary Harris and Cyrus Zachau stood at the front of the gymnasium. Five wooden stars decorated with white lights stood by the photos.

The five teenagers were residents of the Mad River Valley. Cozzi attended high school in New Hampshire, while the others attended Harwood Union. The teenagers were killed in a crash Oct. 8 caused by a wrong-way driver on Interstate 89 in Williston. The suspected driver, Steven Bourgoin, has pleaded not guilty to five counts of second-degree murderand is jailed.

Monday's celebration featured speeches by those who knew the students and musical interludes, including one by Harwood alumnus singer-songwriter Grace Potter, who performed her song "Stars." Two members of the Williston Fire Department also attended the ceremony and received a standing ovation from the crowd.

Friends and teachers spoke about each teenager and the effect they had on members of the community.

Brookens was remembered for his love of skiing, his work ethic and his intelligence. Friend Eli Moskowitz recalled spending a cold but sunny February day with Brookens participating in a skiing competition. The two had just enough time at the top of the mountain to listen to one of their favorite songs before Brookens raced away, Moskowitz recalled.

"I remember when he dropped in, he put twice as much power into his skiing than anyone else, going higher and farther," Moskowitz said. "However, on his second jump, he went a little too far and washed out on his landing. ... I saw him get up and start skiing hard again."

At the bottom of the hill, Moskowitz found his friend, smiling.

"The first thing he said to me was, 'Yo, I got so much snow down my pants.' And then we both broke out laughing before skiing to the bottom of the lift," Moskowitz said.

Friends and teachers recalled Cozzi as a kind, lovable, sometimes headstrong person. Jacki McCarty, Cozzi's eighth-grade teacher, recalled watching Cozzi grow from an often sassy child into a passionate leader at Harwood Union Middle School. McCarty later wrote Cozzi a recommendation to attend Kimball Union Academy, a private high school in Meriden, New Hampshire.

"Indicative of her natural leadership abilities, Janie's drive to be involved in policy and planning at Harwood began in seventh grade, fresh out of elementary school," McCarty said. "Janie volunteered to be part of the personalized learning plan committee as the HUMS seventh-grade representative. Even as a newcomer to Harwood in seventh grade, Janie was ready to jump into a position of leadership, working shoulder to shoulder with adults in the building."

Childhood friend Anna Jarecki said Cozzi was a good friend she could count on to "tell it how it is." She said Cozzi also was extremely devoted to her family, especially her younger brothers.

"She taught me what a good sister looks like, and what a good daughter looks like, and what being a good friend meant," Jarecki said.

Anna Fortier remembered her friend Hale as a having a sharp wit, loving fashion and cars, and avidly riding his dirt bike. She said he would stop any conversation to talk about dream cars or play videos online to admire the sounds the cars made.

"And then he would say, 'So good, so good,' with that little head nod he had," Fortier said.

Hale loved wearing clothing from the company Vineyard Vines, but Fortier remembered poking fun at him since she did not care for the brand.

"I told him I'd never buy a single thing from there," Fortier said. "But just the other day I bought something just because I know he would want me to."

Friends and teachers remembered Zschau as being thoughtful and hardworking. Baseball coach Adam Sargent read a note from another of Zschau's coaches that said the teenager "always gave 100 percent" wherever he played on the baseball field.

"Before every game, he would ask with a smile, 'Coach, where would you like me today?'" Sargent read from a note written by coach Mitch Casey.

Friend Eli Hammond recalled growing up with Zschau and learning right from wrong together. He shared a story about the first time he and Zschau were trusted with mowing the lawn and Zschau's home. Zschau sat on Hammond's lap on the riding mower and steered.

"That wasn't the best decision," Hammond joked. He then addressed Zschau's parents, saying, "I'm sorry for how bad your lawn looked that day, especially the inappropriate shapes we made."

Harris was remembered for her love for friends and family, her sense of justice and her zest for life. Harris' history teacher Kathy Cadwell told the crowd that Harris' motto was "YOLO" — "you only live once."

"She lived it to the fullest," Cadwell said. "'YOLO,' Mary said. Don't worry about what you're wearing to school. Wear whatever you want, whatever is comfortable. YOLO, let's eat this candy now because it's going to be gone later. YOLO, let's jump off this rock into the Mad River because it's going to be fun. ... YOLO embodies Mary's spirit and love of life."

Cadwell encouraged others to live by Harris' example and uphold kindness and justice.

"This tragedy has cut us all like a meat cleaver through the heart," Cadwell said. "It's torn us open, and yet this event has the capacity to make our hearts grow bigger, to love more, to be more open to one another, to reach out to one another, to share despair and to lift up these families."

This story has been updated to reflect the following: Two members of Williston Fire Department attended the celebration of life for five teenagers on Monday. The Williston agency was misidentified in an earlier version of the story. 

This story was first posted online on Oct. 24, 2016. Contact Elizabeth Murray at 651-4835 or emurray@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LizMurraySMC.

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