PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Rebekah Baptiste should be in fifth grade, but instead, her school hosted a celebration of life in honor of the 10-year-old girl, gone too soon.
Family, friends, and teachers packed into Empower College Prep’s gym on Thursday to pay tribute to Rebekah while dressed in her favorite color, pink.
An original song, decorated clothespins, flowers, photos and tears were part of the memorial.
Her third-grade teacher read a poem she wrote in the little girl’s memory and her fourth-grade teacher reflected on Rebekah’s kindness and the warning signs that something was wrong at home.
“I was lucky because I got to show you love when the people you wanted to most refused. I loved you so much. You changed me in so many ways,” said Phenicia Swalley, her fourth-grade teacher.
Investigators said she was killed by her father and his girlfriend in July after prolonged physical and sexual abuse.
In addition to murder charges, Richard Baptiste and Anicia Woods are facing child abuse charges in connection with Rebekah’s younger brothers.
“This should never have happened. Never and because of her, there’s going to be a lot of changes coming,” said Sondra Hawkins, Rebekah’s grandma. “I believe God was with her and God is with her and she had to go home because she’s more powerful there to help.”
School officials believe the system failed her. They were worried about Rebekah and said they contacted the Department of Child Safety more than a dozen times.
But a DCS spokesperson pushed back, saying the school only called the hotline five times and most of the reports did not meet the threshold needed to investigate abuse or neglect.
“Empower College Prep, you did your part. You loved her, you protected her here on campus. You gave her safety, joy and dignity,” said Javi Casas, a chaplain.
Her educators call the classroom her safe haven and say she dreamed of growing up to become a teacher herself.
“I don’t think you become a teacher, I think you’re born a teacher and I think she was born a little teacher,” said Penny Roubison, Rebekah’s third-grade teacher.
Although her life was short, Rebekah’s legacy will be long-lasting.
She is forever imprinted on the school’s principal and assistant principal in the form of tattoos with her initials “R.B.”
“She’s with me forever,” said Becky Jones, Empower College Prep’s principal.
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