Some of the teens are angry. They reminisced, they cried, they cussed at the man accused of causing the fatal accident. They won't get to see their friends during classes anymore, at the skate park or at other gatherings.

Cloe Davis, 15, wants tougher laws against drunken drivers.

"You should get one chance and be put in rehab for at least one year," Cloe said while hundreds of students, parents and community members gathered inside Monte del Sol Charter School's gymnasium Monday afternoon. She wants to use her anger "to change legislation, because if you're driving around (drunk) you obviously have a disease."

Sydney Causey, 16, said the state should make it harder for DWI offenders to regain their driver's licenses.

"I feel like at this point, the state is doing more than before, but they're working on prevention, not on the aftermath," Sydney said. "They should suspend their license, and it shouldn't be as easy as it is to get back on the streets."

While friends and family shared hugs, tears, notes and flowers at Monday's community memorial at the school, Amarante Anderson, 15, planted basil and tended a garden plot that crash victim Julian Martinez, 16, had been in charge of. Amarante and Julian had become close friends in the past several months, he said, because they both loved gardening and developing tagger skills during their art class.

Julian was born in Santa Fe but had moved out of state and came back for the last part of the school year. Along with Rose Simmons, 15, who also died in the crash, and Avree Koffman, 16, who remains hospitalized, Julian had been taking a humanities summer course focusing on genocide, said Lisa Otero, Monte del Sol's dean of students and history teacher. Rose and Avree had been attending the school since seventh grade, Otero said.

At the ceremony, parents and students got a chance to vent and talk about any issues on their minds, said Anne Salzmann, the school's interim principal. Six counselors were expected to be available at the gathering, two of them Monte del Sol counselors.

Giving the community space for this memorial was important, said Ken Joseph, the school's board president and father of two Monte del Sol students.

"It's a chance to support the kids and remember as a community, to offer thoughts and grieve together," Joseph said.

Parents including Isis Chirinos and Carolyn Brooks also attended the ceremony. They each have a child at Monte del Sol who knew the students involved in the accident.

"It's so close to home," said Chirinos, adding that she couldn't help but think of her own child's safety.

"Drunk driving has touched so many lives," Brooks said. "I know everyone can probably say, 'I know someone who has been killed by a drunk driver.' It's devastating."

Rosa Moreno, 15, shed tears as a group of friends surrounded her.

"They were all wonderful people," Rosa said of the deceased teens. "Kate (Klein) was the smartest, Rose was the prettiest, Alyssa (Trouw) was the nicest and Julian was the funniest."

Michael Maestas, counselor and chairman of the New Mexico Counseling and Therapy Board, said the afternoon was about sharing feelings, but especially about listening to everyone who spoke.

Maestas himself lost a 21-year-old daughter about 14 years ago and understands the pain that parents are going through. He also has a son who attends Monte del Sol.

"When you lose a child, it seems like your life has come to and end," Maestas said. "I'm praying for strength for the parents."

Contact Sandra Baltazar Martínez at 986-3062 or smartinez@sfnewmexican.com.