Mary O'Brien gives a presentation about Samantha Smith on Tuesday in the Manchester Elementary School library.

Students view a photo of Samantha Smith on the cover of People magazine during a presentation by Mary O'Brien, left, on Tuesday at the Manchester Elementary School library.

Standing in front of a poster board with Kennebec Journal clippings, Joseph Owen talks about Samantha Smith on Tuesday at Manchester Elementary School. Owen, a former journalist and copy desk chief for the Kennebec Journal, met Smith while writing a story about her preparation to visit the Soviet Union at the invitation of its leader.

Jessica Dwyer shows a scrap book of her late childhood pal, Samantha Smith, during an interview Tuesday at Manchester Elementary School.

A large painting of Samantha Smith hangs at Manchester Elementary School.

Manchester Elementary staffers Shannon Cole, left, and Jessica Dwyer talk about their late school classmate Samantha Smith during a presentation Tuesday in the Manchester Elementary School library.

Manchester Elementary School staffers Shannon Cole, left, and Jessica Dwyer talk about their late school classmate Samantha Smith during a presentation Tuesday in the Manchester Elementary School library.

Jessica Dwyer shows souvenirs of her trip to the USSR during an interview Tuesday at Manchester Elementary School. After Samantha Smith died in a plane crash, some of her schoolmates followed in her footsteps and went to summer camp there, too. A group of Russian children also visited a Maine camp as part of that exchange program.

Students view a photo of Samantha Smith during a presentation by Mary O'Brien, left, on Tuesday at the Manchester Elementary School library.

A collage of photos from Samantha Smith's visit to the United Socialist Soviet Republic, or Soviet Union, was published in the Kennebec Journal.