In between the difficulties of being a teenager and being a student, Overton students still find time to help others and promote hospitality. Major exams were coming up and everyone was furiously studying to pass the semester. However, in the midst of all of this concentration comes confusion: A tragedy that leaves one of our own freshman dead at the young age of fifteen, just days after her birthday.

Dalia Perez, freshman, died on December 2, 2010, after attempting to save her siblings from a house fire on Artelia Drive in Antioch. The fire broke out around three in the morning while Dalia and her family were sleeping. The home did not contain a smoke alarm, which did not alarm the family until it was too late and the fire progressed towards the second floor, but luckily, the family evacuated the house in time to be safe. As the family evacuated, Dalia noticed that two or more of her siblings did not make it out with the rest of the family. Dalia, being selfless, went in the house to find the rest of them. She was able the rescue them, but she was convinced that there were more people in the burning home.

"In a situation of that magnitude, there is panicking and confusion," said Nashville Fire Department spokesperson Ricky Taylor to The Tennessean. "It's possible that she thought other children were inside, not realizing they had made it out. It's quite a big house."

She went inside the home again to rescue the people that she thought were possibly inside but then she never came out. Firefighters believe that while she was exiting the house, smoke overwhelmed her and she collapsed before she could get out.

Dalia acted with such heroism and selflessness that night that it seemed unreal to many. Much of Overton’s faculty and students were proud and impressed of Dalia’s heroism. "It was pretty incredible that she would put her family members in front of her, knowing there was a raging fire in her house," said Overton counselor Ms. Logan to WSMV-TV.

From what family and friends said about Dalia, she seemed to live life to the furthest extent. The death of Dalia is a perfect example of how short life is, even if we live to be old. Tragedy can overcome how we pursue or witness life, and that is exactly what happened to the majority us who witnessed this tragedy unfold. The comradery that overtook the school after her death seemed unreal to me. Students automatically took over to provide financial services for the family. Overton gathered over one thousand dollars for the family’s needs. "To donate whatever they have out of their pockets is absolutely incredible," said Ms. Logan to WSMV-TV. "It just shows what an important part of the student body Dalia was."

As a writer, it makes me proud of how a whole student body can come together to bring light to such a horrible situation. Dalia’s family has virtually no financial worries now due to the generosity of the Overton student body and volunteers at non-profit organizations like the Red Cross and businesses like the Hard Rock Café. All of these donations were jumpstarted by the Overton student body who inspired those to donate.

Just how Dalia stood behind her school, her school is now standing behind her, making sure that her family is taken care of. This tragedy will be unforgettable as Overton finally realizes its mission as citizens; never leaving a fellow one behind or without help.