By Bonnie Washuk,Staff Writer

LEWISTON – The community is responding to the deaths of three Lewiston High School students with sympathy – and with cash to help pay for the funerals, Superintendent Leon Levesque said Tuesday.

“The response has been broad,” Levesque said. “We’ve had numerous calls. People are stopping by and giving money, both cash and checks. People are empathizing with the pain and suffering of the parents. They are realizing this is a tragedy.”

People also realize that parents don’t plan financially for funerals for their teenagers, he said.

Typically the cost is about $5,000, according to Fortin Group Funeral Homes in Auburn, which is handling two of the services.

The three students who died in a plane crash last Thursday were Nicholas Babcock, 17; Shannon Fortier, 15; and Teisha Loesberg, 16. They were in a Cessna piloted by William Charles Weir, 24, of Auburn, when it crashed on Barker Mountain in Newry. Weir also died.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Levesque said he didn’t know how much had been raised for the Air Force Junior ROTC Memorial Fund. Tuesday was only the second day of fundraising.

Lewiston High School Principal Gus LeBlanc called the early community response “very gratifying. It’s clear when people in Maine, in Lewiston-Auburn, realize there’s a need, that they can help, they seem to step up to the plate.”

A funeral Mass for Fortier is scheduled for 11 a.m. today at Holy Family Church in Lewiston. Services for Weir are also scheduled for this morning at the State Street Church in Portland.

Services for Babcock will be held at 4 p.m. Thursday at the Fortin Group Funeral Home in Auburn, followed by a burial at sea in Wells.

Loesberg’s memorial service will be held at noon on Saturday at the Open Door Bible Church in Lisbon.

All three students were members of the Lewiston High School Junior ROTC program. They were participating in a flight-training exercise when their plane crashed.

Babcock’s family has asked that instead of flowers, contributions in their son’s memory be made to the Junior ROTC program.

Col. Robert Meyer, supervisor of the Junior ROTC program at Lewiston High School, said Tuesday he had received some contributions. He’ll use the donations for a plaque naming an annual outstanding cadet of the year in the crash victims’ memories. The plaque will be housed in a case outside the ROTC classroom. If enough money is raised, scholarships will also be made available for students to participate in training exercises, Meyer said.

Meanwhile, plans for some kind of memorial service at Lewiston High is being discussed, said Aspirations Coordinator Joan Macri.

An outside, temporary memorial remained Tuesday beneath the school’s flagpole. Students left a Husky stuffed animal, flowers, candles and several American flags. The school’s flag will be flown at half-mast today through Sunday.

Some students have had a difficult time coming to terms with the deaths, Macri said, as have some parents whose children are grieving the deaths of their friends.

“A lot of students have great respect for how the students most affected have handled the situation,” Macri said.

She said she had vivid memories of seeing the ROTC students get ready to leave for training a few days before they died.

“They were all excited,” Macri said. “Teisha was barking out orders, getting them ready for inspection. She’s only 5 feet tall. She’s tiny, but had a big presence. I remember laughing about it,” she said. “They were all having so much fun.”

The school remains open for students who want counseling.

“We haven’t had a tremendous request for it,” Levesque said. The ROTC students have provided each other with mutual support, he said. “They’re a close-knit group.”