Memorial celebrates life of Sayreville girl
Third-grader recalled as avid reader, great student
BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer
Kirthi Balanagu, a 9-yearold Sayreville girl who died in December, lives on in the hearts of those who knew her.

JEFF GRANIT staff Former Truman School student Jake Cobell and Kirsten Fukayama, 17, of Marlboro, paint a mural in an area of the school known as Kirthi's Corner, a tribute to Kirthi Balanagu, a third-grade student who died in December.

And that is abundantly clear at the Harry S. Truman Elementary School, which has rallied to memorialize the youngster, raising $3,000 and creating a place where all can reflect on her life.

School Principal Linda Coffey said that school staff, the Balanagu family, Prudential Financial and MFXchange US Inc. raised money to dedicate space in the school library to Kirthi, who was in third grade when she died suddenly on Dec. 7. The memorial includes a bench, a collection of books and a nameplate in Kirthi's memory.

Kirthi was an avid reader, Coffey said, so the memorial's place in the library is a fitting tribute.

"She had a voracious appetite for reading, so it was very logical for us to do something with books," Coffey said.

PHOTOS BY JEFF GRANIT staff Top: Former Truman student Jake Cobell (r) and Kirsten Fukayama, both 17, work on the mural at Kirthi's Corner, in the school library. Kirthi Balanagu, 9, (above) of Sayreville, is remembered fondly by family, friends and school staff.

The memorial space is called Kirthi's Corner. A former Truman School student, Jake Cobell, and his Marlboro High School art classmate, Kirsten Fukayama, both 17, recently painted a mural there in her honor. The high school students said they are good friends who collaborate on projects when they get the chance.

"We work well together, Kirsten and I," Jake said.

For the mural, the high school students used latex house paint to create a forest scene with a lake and a swan.

"The swan represents the girl who had died," Jake said.

The Balanagu family, of Brooklawn GardensApartments, expressed gratitude to all who contributed to the cause. Kirthi's father, Murty, thanked the Truman School for dedicating space in the library in Kirthi's memory.

"I would like to thank Prudential employees, my wife's company, MFXchange, and the teachers and Mrs. Coffey also," Murty said.

Kirthi's mother, Rajani, noted that the school bus stop in front of their residence also now bears Kirthi's name.

"We are proud of our daughter," Rajani said. "It is unexpected with everything that happened. We don't know how this could happen."

Rajani said she and her husband are slowly recovering from their loss, with the help of friends, family and colleagues.

"They are like our support groups, and we are very thankful to them," she said.

Their daughter participated in a variety of activities at school, and frequently used her library card at Sayreville Public Library to take out books, Rajani said.

"She used to enjoy the books," she said. "Every night she read the books."

"Every school activity, she used to participate in," Rajani added. "She was very jovial. In school, she participated in cheerleading and various activities. She was very good at hula-hoop in school. She was good in art, and in Spanish she used to get anAplus grade."

The couple's 5-year-old son, Suraj, will attend Truman School this fall.

"Truman is the best elementary school in this district, and we thought our daughter was doing very good academically and outside [of school]," Rajani said. "Their way of teaching kids and understanding them is very good."

Coffey said she led a discussion among the third-grade class in the school after Kirthi passed away, and the students took the opportunity to remember and celebrate the life of their classmate and friend.

"The children loved her," Coffey said. "She was just a very sweet person."