Sarah JoyStreicher

Farewell to Friends

Sarah Joy Streicher enjoyed dancing and cooking, spent time with her family and friends, and wanted to be a high school history teacher when she grew up.

She was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and worked at the PW Market as a courtesy clerk where customers described her as “a pleasant, young, helpful girl with the most beautiful smile.”

Sarah was “sweet, kind and caring,” ac-cording to many of her friends. “It hurt Sarah to see anyone she cared about in pain,” said Allie Levy. “She always had a way of making her friends feel special, and boy, was she good at it.”

Someone very special and close to Sarah was her older sister Jennifer Miles of Tacoma, Washington, who’s expecting a baby in March; Sarah was very excited about being an aunt. Jennifer has a special memory of Sarah being her bridesmaid at her wedding.

“Our pictures together are priceless,” she said. “I was supposed to pose with her and be all serious, but she wouldn’t stop cracking jokes. So in all of the pictures of us together we are rolling laughing so hard. The pictures came out way better because of that and I am so grateful to her

for that gift.”Sarah was about to start her senior year

at CVHS. To her former teachers she was “inspirational,” “bright” and “gifted.” Many describe her as a girl with much motivation and ambition. Sarah was intel-ligent, brightened the classroom, and was “quick to smile,” her teachers said.

“She made every person in her presence feel accepted and cared for, giving them cheer and hope. Inspiring students to treat and support each other in similar ways is how I will keep her memory alive,” said teacher Deborah Yager.

“My fondest memory of Sarah was her warm, inviting smile. Since the first day of Freshman English, Sarah was forever smiling and had kind words for every-one,” said teacher Michelle Lew.

Sarah was born June 13, 1991 and died on August 12, 2008.

She is survived by her mother Deborah Pimentel, her father Ralph Streicher, her sister Jennifer Miles and brother-in-law Erik Miles, her grandparents, many aunts, uncles and cousins, countless friends, and Dane Niderost, Sarah’s boyfriend and the “love of her life.”

Sarah's family plans to establish a schol-arship in her name to support students who share the passion she had for history. Donations are accepted at Washington Mutual Bank at 3449 Castro Valley Blvd.

By Lindsay OdaBusiness Manager

Clark Matthew Wright graduated from CVHS last June, worked at PW Market, and planned to start classes at Las Positas College in Livermore this fall. He was a member of First Baptist Church in Castro Valley. Those who knew Clark described him as charming and easygoing, with “a kind and sincere smile.”

Many also remembered him as a reli-gious, generous, caring and responsible young man. As far as fun and games went, he loved practical jokes, Hawaiian-themed shirts, video games, and roller coasters.

“Clark was quiet in class, but when he did speak I could tell he was a deep and thoughtful person,” recalled social stud-ies teacher Nick Whitaker. “Here was a young man who could look outside of his own bubble to see the real world and not the one most people take for granted. For that and so may other reasons, I will miss Clark.”

So will many relatives and friends who treasure special memories of Clark.

“To have been able to call myself a friend of Clark’s is truly a gift I will cher-ish my entire life,” said Cristina Resendiz, a classmate and fellow 2008 graduate. “There are very few people in this world that, especially in as little time as Clark

had, can say they have impacted the lives of everyone around them, let alone their entire community. It wasn’t just because of his charm or easygoing personality that drew people towards him; it was his kind and sincere smile that instantly revealed that he genuinely wanted to know you and learn how to make you laugh.

“There isn’t one memory I have about Clark that I can look back on without smiling. I just wish I could tell him now how greatly I treasured his friendship,” she said.

“Clark’s family and friends were pre-cious to him,” his family wrote. “It is a great comfort to us to know that he touched so many lives and that his love and kind heart and light-up-the-room smile will continue to live on, in some small way, in each of our lives.”

Clark was a Little Leaguer, a Boy Scout, a Link Crew volunteer, a Mexico missions participant, a fisherman and a nature lover.

Clark was born on March 8, 1990 and died on Aug. 12, 2008. He is survived by his parents, David and Becky Wright, his sister Courtney Wright, his grandparents, many aunts, uncles and cousins, and many friends.

Donations to establish a scholarship in his name are accepted at Washington Mu-tual Bank at 3449 Castro Valley Blvd.

By Joseph WanCopy editor

Clark Matthew Wright

March 8, 1990 - August 12, 2008

I will never forget the day Clark and I went for a hike. We met up on a Sunday morning for what I thought would be a leisurely walk. What we ended up doing was cutting our way through the brush in the back of Columbia. Clark had brought a sword with him against Becky’s best judgment. And, I must add, I have never felt so safe with an armed young man.

As we walked through the trees and the reeds, Clark chopped off the branches that impeded our way. He was a perfect gentleman, holding my hand as we climbed the slip-pery hills together. Throughout the walk, Clark often paused to snap pictures intended for “his

Clark,There is no correct word to describe how much I miss you. You have been like a brother to me. I have known you my whole life, and to think that I cannot call on you anymore makes me faint. From Sunday school, to hanging out and playing video games, to just chillin’ in your back yard in the fort. Your presence will be missed. You are loved by many, and still to this very moment you are loved by all of us. I never got to see your new sound system chicken cheese. I know I will get to see you when my time comes. A piece of my heart left when you left this earth to join our Father. So hang on to it so you can give it back when we meet again, Spartan Leader.Erik Chow

Clark,Okay so Clark you are basi-

cally one of the nicest, friendliest, most genuine people I have ever known. You worked very hard to get what you wanted and always put your heart into everything. I remember all the fun times we had together watching Disney Channel at my house. You hated it, but you watched it for me with a smile on your face! You were always there to talk to me about whatever I wanted to talk about. I had so much fun going to your church group with you and playing vol-leyball! These are all memories I will never ever forget. I love you more than you know and you will forever remain in my heart.

Mary Lassalle

He was so special. I loved Clark, I loved his smile, his energy and... I guess, just his presence. I shared many memories with Clark. The latest one was at family camp this year. We were tubing on the back of Nancy’s Jet Ski and somehow I always ended up falling off, but every time that I was fighting to stay on the tube, Clark would try to help me by either grabbing onto me and pulling me back up, or by shouting out encouragements to stay on. Stephen Resendes

Isaiah 40: 28-31 “Do you not

know? Have you not heard?

The LORD is the everlast-

ing God, the Creator of the

ends of the earth. He will

not grow tired or weary, and

his understanding no one can

fathom. 29 He gives strength

to the weary and increases the

power of the weak. 30 Even

youths grow tired and weary,

and young men stumble and

fall; 31 but those who hope in

the LORD will renew their

strength. They will soar on

wings like eagles; they will

run and not grow weary, they

will walk and not be faint.”

Psalms 42:8 “By day the

LORD directs his love, at

night his song is with me

— a prayer to the God of

my life.”

Catapillar-You loved when

I used to call you that. You mean so much to me. The past few days have felt like a dream, l ike i t can’t be real. You were a best friend to me, a brother. You were always full of encourage-ment. Your smile was beautiful. I keep replaying all the great times we had together. If there was one thing I KNOW you would want to hear, it’s that we would allow God to get us t h ro u g h t h e s e hard times. Your passion to love God was so great, and although you struggled, you knew God was there.

Riki Berglin

Clark will be missed greatly. This past July it was great to see him at Family Camp having fun with his friends. As a group was walking to talent night, I over-heard a conversation and was impressed as Clark told his friends that as long as he had Jesus, he was going to be all right. I have no doubt that he is with Jesus and watching over his family and friends.

Monica Dahl

It’s still hard to believe you’re gone Clark. I miss you so much and I think about you every day, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who does. You were an amazing friend, a wonderful son and a child of God. I’ve shared so many memories with you, whether it was Lake Mendocino during all those summers, TPing all those nights, play-ing Halo, or sitting on top of your vette on Halloween nights. I will treasure all of those memories for the rest of my life. You were one of my closest friends, and I will never forget you. Much love and God bless you. Nick Blank

Clark Wright

mom.” He enjoyed looking at the interplay of sunlight and shadow as they danced beneath the trees. I enjoyed watching Clark bask in the goodness of God’s creation. Our conversation twisted and turned through various topics ranging from The Rock, to girls, to Mount Hermon, and ulti-mately to Clark’s admiration of the wonderful Christian people God had placed in his life. He expressed a deep love for fel-lowship and for worship and especially for his family. I was awed to hear the heart of this amazing young man, my friend: Clark. It was a beautiful morning and it will live on as a treasured memory of mine.

Alex Malliaris

Clark,You were a great guy, you were

family and friend oriented. You inspired me to get closer to God.

Kyle Woollum

Clark,I got to know you in ASL. You

are such an incredible person. You were always smiling, and al-ways had a story to tell. I’m sorry we weren’t as close this past year, college sometimes does that. I can’t grasp the fact that I ran into you, and we caught up and now you’re gone. I will miss you

so much. You are so loved but I know you are in a better place now. I’ll miss you Mr. Clark Kent! You’ll forever be my Superman!! Love ya buddy,

Jenni Cavallero

June 13, 1991 - August 12, 2008

SarahStreicherI wish that I could name off every memory

that I had with Sarah, but it would literally take a thousand lifetimes to name off each one. She filled me with an eternity of smiles and laughter, and I know she knows how much I love her. If I could tell Sarah anything right now, I would thank her so much for blessing me with such an amazing friend-ship that I got to share with her for all these years. She made such a large impact on my life, and will be a part of me forever. I love you Sarbear. You’ll always be in my heart.

Allie Levy

I’ve always been taught that the best way to stay humble is to do your personal best because there is always going to be someone who is stronger, faster, smarter, thinner, more beautiful and more talented than you. I never thought I’d actually get to meet the person who is all those things let alone call her my best friend. Sarah was all those things and more. She really is the most amazing person I have ever known and I am forever blessed to have seen what beauty and grace looks like. Even though Sarah was younger than me I really looked up to her. She was my role model and now my guardian angel. Sarah, I love you more than you know and I know one day we will meet again face to face. Until then may you rest in paradise. Love you always and forever,

Kelly Drinkward

Snuggling with DaneJennifer, Her Big SisterErik, Her Special Brother-in-LawGramma’s RollsHer CarDancingJimmyOff-roading with her big sister and brother-in-lawJanineAriannaLaughingSpongebobRubik’s CubeJet-skiingSnow boardingSnorkeling Going to the beachPlaying with her little cousinsJD’s for breakfastJust hanging with her friendsShopping for ClothesSushiEating Hot Cheetos with Cream Cheese“A Knight’s Tale”“Harry Potter”“La Boheme”Carree Outee Cashew ChickenGathering recipesWatching the Food ChannelRachel RayCooking BakingChicken AlfredoCaesar SaladTeasing JonnyOur cat, Prince BlueHistory and Geraldine Cox, CVHS History TeacherDisneylandMitch Hedberg, ComedianDane Cook, ComedianHeath Ledger, Late ActorGeorgia Nicholson books--read out loud with a British accent with her mom and sister in mom’s bed, laugh-ing til we criedCream of Mushroom soup (right out of the can)Onion rings “without onions”Mom’s Chocolate Covered CherriesLoard’s Pumpkin Ice CreamThe Color Sage GreenThe Number 8MexicoPlaying “Moonlight Sonata” by Beethoven on our Grand PianoMarilyn MonroeThe EllipticalApples to Apples ScrabbleMouFrench Fries dipped in MilkshakeDecorating the tree with her Lenox Christmas ornamentsBetty BoopEating the Frosting off Frosted Mini Wheats and the top off Angel Food CakeTinkerbellStephanie Plum books by Janet EvanovichThe Awakening by Kate Chopin

Deborah Pimentel

… Red velvet cupcakes topped with a candied pecan

… Shoes of many styles and shapes… You looking to the sky and

laughing at anything you found funny, joyful

… You floating in the door carrying a shopping bag and whimsically looking over your shoulder saying, ‘Now don’t be mad’

Sarah was born a talker. She did everything early: walking, talk-ing, learning. She had a zest for life and an outgoing personality that seemed to click with a lot of people. Outgoing people felt a kin-ship with her; shy people watched her and felt comfortable that she seemed to accept them as they were, without judging them.

Many friends didn’t know that she also had a shy side; which she worked hard to cover up. In her self-appointed role as ambassador to all, she felt it her responsibility to bridge any gaps or conflicts be-tween people she cared about, and sometimes strangers. She would stuff down her own fears to reach out to someone else. The new kid in class or in a social group, the slightly “different” person; or anyone she saw felt isolated.

What most people remember about her is laughing-at you, at the world, at herself. She had a knack for making you walk away feeling better about yourself than when you came, and many people didn’t know how hard she worked at that. She had her own moods and fears, of course, but rarely would she allow those to affect others.

When she was smaller she would make little hand-made gifts for her family and friends.

As she grew, those gifts in-creased; she would come back from trips or vacations with gifts for her friends, but none for herself.

Her strong sense of humor combined with a “slight” sar-casm combined for a girl who was almost always funny, but with deadly accuracy. She could make fun of someone without causing pain, because in the next moment she was making fun of herself.

Mostly, she loved without much reservation, and some of you read-ing this were the recipients of love and generosity from her which stood apart because it was sin-cere and cost you nothing. As you know, that’s not usually the case… I hope that you can honor her by “paying it forward,” spreading a little kindness around for free. It can be a rough world out there. One of the lessons of Sarah’s life is that everyone needs a little love.

A kind word, a nice gesture-somehow these are looked down at, or consider corny at your age. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Never Forget.Ralph Streicher

… You watching and caring for me on the Fourth of July at Granny’s house

… You and Dane taking me to breakfast at JD’s and eating French toast and orange juice milk shakes

… Your laughing eyes and chuckles after watching ‘Pineapple Express’

… You sitting on Dane’s lap in my studio and keeping me company while I sewed

… Your quiet whispers and giggles from downstairs as you woke and snuggled with Dane each morning

… Your wonderful scratchy voice… The smile, the joy, the love

you brought to Dane’s world and subsequently to ours

We came to see you as a daughter, more than Dane’s girlfriend. We as a family love you and miss you.

We will always remember Sarah Joy.

The Niderost family

Sarah’s Favorite Things

Sarah Joy, I remember…

Looking down Dublin Canyon Road today, one sees few signs of the horrific accident that occurred there about seven weeks ago. But a memorial with pictures, cards, flowers, and signs saying, “Rest in peace,” paid tribute to a tragedy that the community cannot forget.

Castro Valley is still shocked by the Aug. 12 accident that claimed the lives of Sarah Streicher, 17, and Clark Wright, 18. Streicher was about to become a CVHS senior, and Wright graduated with the Class of 2008.

Moments after the accident was report-ed at 12:43 a.m., California Highway Pa-

trol officers arrived to find Wright’s white Corvette flipped over after crashing into a power pole. Wright and Streicher showed no signs of life.

“The worst [accidents] are when it in-volves children or teens,” said Sgt. Steve Perea, who responded to the crash. “We respect life. Your friends were someone’s son and daughter.”

Based in part on skid marks, Perea esti-mated the Corvette was driving 120 miles per hour before the accident.

In addition, the CHP believes that Wright and the driver of a black BMW were street racing earlier that night. Witnesses have told family members that the drivers did not intend on racing when the accident occurred, but may have done so spontaneously, Streicher’s mother said.

“We know speed was a factor. The ques-tion is whether or not they were racing at the moment,” said Perea. Dublin Canyon Road, a lightly-traveled and mostly-straight street parallel to I-580, has long

attracted speeders.To further investigate the accident, the

CHP has assembled its Methodical Action Investigation Team (M.A.I.T.), consisting of officers from Santa Cruz, Sacramento, Monterey and Modesto.

If the M.A.I.T. investigation shows that the teens were street racing when the ac-cident occurred, the District Attorney’s office may file charges against the BMW driver or against the three other young people at the scene, Perea said. The charges could include reckless driving, exhibition of speed, or even vehicular manslaughter.

Streicher and Wright were wearing seat belts, Perea said. No evidence shows that drugs or alcohol were involved, he also said. All four other people at the scene passed sobriety tests. Because of the ongo-ing investigation, CHP officers have not publicly identified the four.

Perea said this accident has affected his own life more than others he has investi-gated, because he also has a 17-year-old

daughter. “It scares me to death,” he said.

Moved by the tragedy, thousands of people visited the memorial that stood at the crash scene, attended services for the teens, or posted messages about them online.

“Clearly Clark was well-liked, and had the admiration of his fellow students. He was always cheerful, smiling and friend-ly,” said teacher Peter Brewer.

“Sarah was a bright star. She was ex-tremely gifted, with understanding and insight beyond her years,” said teacher Deborah Groody. “She was also a lovely person, thoughtful and generous, with a strong sense of personal responsibility. During the short time she was here, she truly made a difference.”

Teacher Nick Whitaker hopes the ac-cident helps people to view things dif-ferently.

“I just hope that this tragedy will help others not to take the world for granted,” he said.

Teens perish in high-speed accident

Sarah Joy Streicher was bright, gor-geous, and not to mention a total sweet-heart of a girl. To know her was to love her. This we all already knew. I’ve both heard and read so many stories about what a genuinely amazing person she truly was; I only wish I had more stories of my own to tell.

Even though Sarah and I were never close friends, that didn’t matter. She was the girl who would always smile at you when you walked by in the hallway, or the friendly, pretty face at PW Market. These last few weeks at school, I’ve felt the absence of that shining smile.

Trying to imagine what I could write about what I knew of Sarah, of her beauty, her sincere kindness, was hard. It doesn’t seem like anything written or said could do her justice. I know the pain has been unbearable for many, but Sarah was sent here as an angel on Earth. She showed us all how to love. Now God wants his lovely angel back.

I will never forget the thoughts and feelings that ran through me at the candlelight vigil that next night. I’d brought stargazer lilies, my favorite flowers, and it took me the entire hour I was there to gather the courage to place them with all the flowers so many oth-ers had left. Chills ran up and down my spine, and I let the tears flow freely. My

best friends and I stood together, hold-ing each other’s hands, knowing we were all thinking the same thoughts. I imagined losing any one of these girls next to me, and it hurt too much to even think about.

Although it was a gathering of people mourning the ones they’d so unfairly lost, it was also a gathering of many, many people brought together by their love for both Sarah and Clark Wright. Seeing our community come together, friends, families, and even strangers, comforted me. It’s much easier to mourn the loss of loved ones, but to celebrate their lives is something that we all must do. I hope that friends and family of Sar-ah will be comforted by their memories

of her, and know that she would want the happiness to live on.

Losing Sarah has made me wake up every single day, grateful for the life and the love that I’m able to wake up to. I feel blessed having the gift of knowing Sarah, and it is clear I am not the only one. She was a friend to many, loved by all who knew her, and touched many whom she’d never even known.

Although she deserves her place in Heaven more than anyone else, she is missed by more than she could have imagined. She was a bright soul here on earth, but now a bright star in the sky. You will never be forgotten, Sarah. May your memory live forever, and your star shine brightly.

By Erin MundyCopy Editor

Taking comfort from memories and love

By Irene Liang and Eva PoonCity Editor and FEaturE Editor

The crash site on Dublin Canyon Road became a makeshift memorial with bundles of flowers and piles of cards from friends and family members.

Brandon Liu / Staff Writer

CHP investigating possibility of racing

before crash

The Olympian thanks the many friends and family members of Clark Wright and Sarah Streicher who kindly contributed photos and memories for this issue. We received far more than we actually had space to use, so we apologize to those whose submissions we

could not publish.