Helena Ramsay

At first glance, Helena Freja Ramsay was the type of girl who kept to herself, an introvert. The few fortunate enough to break through her quiet facade knew she was so much more than her reserved designation. She was kind, compassionate and incredibly loyal, even to her last moments.

Helena was born on Jan. 19, 2001 to Anne and Vincent Ramsay in Portsmouth, England. She lives on through her older brother Ellis, an intimate group of friends, the countless stray cats she benevolently fostered and all the students and staff of MSD who will forever remember her name.

In 2003, the Ramsay family moved from Hayling Island in Havant, England to Coral Springs, Florida. Helena attended Eagle Ridge Elementary and transferred to Sawgrass Springs Middle School after a year at Coral Springs Middle School. Her British customs gradually faded, but she lived her entire life in awe of the diversity and wonder the world around her held.

“Her accent gradually went away,” junior Katherine Dadd, one of Helena’s oldest friends, said. “When we were little she use to say things like ‘hoover’ and ‘dressing gown.’ She even took these etiquette classes where she learned to drink tea.”

As a child, Helena was fond of scootering around the neighborhood, playing Pokémon, watching cartoons such as Tom and Jerry and attending playdates with many of the very same friends that lasted until high school.

She was creative in all realms, and along with Dadd, she invented a game she played with her older brother Ellis, called “Sumo-Santa.”

“He would stuff pillows under his clothes, and we would have to prove that he wasn’t Santa,” Dadd said. “We would playfight and climb all over him, two tiny little girls.”

At MSD, Helena participated in Model United Nations for which she represented her home country of England. She loved travel and anticipated exploring the world once she grew up, but could never decide where she wanted to journey next.

At the end of eighth grade, Helena was invited to go on a cruise with one her best friends, junior Samantha Grady. The two visited Mexico, Jamaica and Haiti together, which was the dawn of an unshakeable friendship.

During spring break of her freshman year, Helena signed up for a trip to Europe with AP Human Geography teacher Ivy Schamis. In a group with a few other girls, they ventured to London, Paris and Barcelona.

“When Helena signed up for my trip, I was a little worried about her because I knew she wasn’t loud or pushed herself in,” Schamis said. “But she was great. She had this specific British chocolate bar she loved and made everyone buy. She really had a funny sense of humor once you got to know her.”

In her junior year, Helena entered Schamis’ classroom once more for Holocaust History. When students were tasked with an essay on whether or not they believed hate could be eradicated from the world. Helena was of the few that said yes.

“Helena truly thought we could eliminate hate from the world,” Schamis said. “She was so optimistic and just a lovely girl.”

As a student, Helena was always hardworking and respectful. She is remembered as the one to always say hello, smile and laugh at everyone else’s silliness.

“Whenever I made jokes in class, she would give me this look like ‘really? You’re really making this dad joke right now’ and would then laugh,” chemistry teacher George LePorte said. “Chemistry wasn’t really her thing, but she was one of those people who always tried super hard and was nice to everybody.”

Helena’s friends describe her no differently — a so-called introvert who was surprisingly eccentric once she opened up to people.

“She was actually really loud at times; it just depended on who she was with,” Dadd said. “When she was with her friends, she could be the loudest person in the room.”

Helena was by no means quiet or shy, though many were quick to label her as such. She simply did not need the attention of others to be self-satisfied.

“The first thing most people say about her is that she’s quiet. That’s true to an extent, but she’s not as quiet as people think she is,” Grady said. “She was much more outgoing around friends and secretly a little bit crazy.”

Once one got to know her, it was apparent that Helena’s quiet demeanor was not to be mistaken for timidness. She had a core set of beliefs and a strong faith that she lived by. Within and beyond her small group of devoted friends, she was never unjust toward anyone.

“Even if you were completely crazy, she would accept you, unless you did something to her, then that’s a different story,” Grady said. “She was the most kind person I’ve ever met. She never discriminated against anybody.”

Helena accepted everyone, no matter their quirks. It was in her reception towards all, as she embraced herself and the world around her.

“She knew she was strange. She knew exactly who she was. I mean, she didn’t know much about her future, but she knew who she was. She never would have apologized for it,” junior Emera Jiminean Stoll said.

Helena was a member of First Priority Club, a student-led organization on many middle school and high school campuses dedicated to the devotion of Christ, and volunteered at the Rotary Community Garden and Food Forest of Coral Springs.

“She always stuck up for what she believed in. If she didn’t like something, she would just say ‘no,’ whereas I would always compromise. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be who I am personality-wise,” Grady said.

When Helena and Grady’s Holocaust History class was ambushed on Feb. 14, Helena attempted to aid her friend in any way she could. When Grady was frozen in shock, Helena was the one to nudge her to the other side of the room, direct her to shield herself with flimsy books and even push her toward safety.

Her compassion and loyalty were ultimately her most notable characteristics. Helena was the friend to complain to, to rant to and to always lend a helping hand. Whether it be carrying a textbook for a friend or a five-hour phone conversation, Helena never rejected anyone who needed her — no matter what was at stake. Her compassion knew no limits even toward animals.

“There were these two cats that came into our neighborhood, and she would feed them outside,” Dadd said. “One day, she brought them in, and then one of them had a litter. She kept those cats, and then one of them also had a litter, and then another.”

At one point, Helena was caring for almost 13 cats, excluding the few she had bestowed or had run away. Not only was she the compassionate friend, she was oftentimes the “crazy cat lady.”

Most of Helena’s relationships consisted of constant inside jokes, laughter and unwavering loyalty. She met Grady when she transferred to Sawgrass Middle School in the seventh grade in civics class. The two bonded in eighth grade science class, as they were of the few heading to MSD.

“We had this joke in eighth grade about chicken. I don’t know where it came from, but we would always say ‘chicken this, chicken that’ as substitution for curse words,” Grady said. “We also had acronyms for one another. I was ‘SSBG,’ and she was ‘TMBGITW,’ which stood for ‘Helena the most beautiful girl in the world.’”

Staying true to her diverse taste, Helena and Grady bonded over their passion for K-pop and K-dramas, which are forms of Korean entertainment. Helena loved the band, BTS, and one of her favorite shows was a K-drama called “Descendants of the Sun.” Stoll managed to coax her into watching Studio Ghibli films, a Japanese anime company.

“She completely loved any romance film and horror. She was watching like every horror film in the world, and I don’t know how she did it,” Grady said.

Her love of various genres of music and entertainment sparked bonds that led to the creation of countless precious memories. In her high school years, Helena and her friends had the opportunity to attend multiple concerts such as GOT7, a K-pop group, Twenty One Pilots, Halsey and most recently, Lana del Rey.

During her free time, Helena would explore an array of restaurants, ranging from Korean to Indian and Italian. Oftentimes she would venture all the way to Boynton Beach with Grady to shop at a discounted Dillards, since shopping was another one of her many pastimes.

“She was a typical teenager, just with a K-pop and K-drama side,” Grady said.

During her 17 years, Helena never once let go of her beliefs, her compassion or her quirks. While she was unsure of where life would take her, she was always sure of herself.

Story by Hannah Kapoor; photos courtesty of Katherine Dadd, Emera Jiminean Stoll and Amanda De La Cruz