We welcome members of the Montrose community to email your reflections on Elizabeth to thelookingglass@student.montroseschool.org. As comments come in, we will post yours with your name at the end. Also send us photos of Elizabeth for our gallery.
Student Tributes
When I last visited Elizabeth, I was welcomed into a decidedly joyful and loving Schickel household. Elizabeth was cozily wrapped in a fuzzy blanket, wearing her Schickel shirt, and watching Tangled. While I was visiting, I was amazed at the outpouring of love between Elizabeth and the people around her. The whole house was humming with the usual activity: the family was talking, doing homework and laughing, and Elizabeth was in the center of it all.
Elizabeth always displayed remarkable courage, positivity, and faith. However, these virtues were not easy to come by in the face of difficulty. Elizabeth had to make a conscious choice to either let the tumor drag her down into negativity, or to embrace the suffering with a fighting, fiercely joyful spirit. Elizabeth most definitely chose to rise up with amazing optimism; indeed, much of what she accomplished was due to a sheer power of faith-inspired will. Her determination led her back to Montrose, after all, for much of the fall semester.
Elizabeth always brought out the best in others. By simply needing help in everyday situations, those around her were motivated to be selfless and offer assistance. It was abundantly clear by the attentiveness of the 10th grade class how one person needing help can bring out generosity in others. Elizabeth demonstrated how little acts of love go a long way, too. Her Valentines for classmates, cheerful greetings in the halls, and simply her ever-radiant smile never failed to elicit a reciprocation of love in return. Her trusting faith deepened the faith of everyone around her, and as she united her struggle with Christ’s on the Cross, those around her offered their own little sacrifices with her as well. Elizabeth was, perhaps unknowingly, a role model and a beacon of awesomeness to just about everyone she encountered.
Elizabeth continues to inspire everyone to embrace the struggles of life with her determination, courage, and profound optimism.
~ MaryGrace King ’16