BY VINAYA SAKSENA

CENTRAL FALLS — Students and teachers from Veterans Memorial Elementary School gathered at Central Falls High School Thursday night (May 14) to commemorate the life of a beloved teacher’s assistant — with a basketball game

It’s a tribute that the late Dacia Pray surely would have approved of, according to her mother, Deb Pray. A family-oriented person with a considerable love of children, Dacia Pray came home from work noticeably upset one day upon learning that budget constraints would mean major cutbacks in activities for students, her mother recalled. Dacia felt strongly that there should be funding for field trips in order to give students — many of whose families could not afford lavish vacation trips — a chance to see things far from Central Falls that they may never see otherwise.
After Dacia’s death in an automobile crash on August 14, 2006, her mother was determined to do something that Dacia would have liked to see done. Thus, the Dacia Pray Memorial Foundation was set up, with the goal of raising funds to provide field trips, inspirational speakers and other educational activities for local students, something she thought had proven particularly valuable given the nation’s current economic woes.
“After she passed, I thought, ‘how can I do a tribute to my daughter?,’” Pray recalled. “I’m sure she’s really happy about this. Everyone knows this is financially a tough year. Everyone has been so generous.”
Having undergone most of her education in the public schools of Pawtucket, Dacia Pray graduated from Davies Vocational School in 1999. Shortly thereafter, she earned her certification as a teacher’s assistant and quickly began working in the Central Falls School District.
According to a previous Times report, Dacia Pray was killed in a crash after she was allegedly forced into her car by a man who then drove it at a high rate of speed from the Central Falls area
into Massachusetts and eventually crashed the vehicle, killing both of them. Dacia’s passing was a cruel blow to those who knew her, as she had been a major positive presence in their lives, her mother said.
“Dacia had an infectious smile. When most people talk about Dacia, that is the one thing they always say. That and her love of children. And family meant a lot to her. She was very family-oriented.”
According to Pray, teachers at Veterans Elementary- where Dacia had worked with special needs students- came up with the idea for the annual Dribbling for Dacia event, now in its third year. In the event, a team of teachers squares off against a team of fifth graders, with a small admission fee, a raffle and a refreshment sale raising funds for the Memorial Foundation.
Dribbling for Dacia is in its third year, and has grown increasingly successful each time. Pray said she could not do it without the help of her family- which includes ten siblings, though relatives were quick to commend her efforts as well.
“We always look forward to it,” said Alice Champagne, grandmother of Dacia Pray. “It’s a lot of work for us. She (Deb) has done such a good job.”
According to Deb Pray, Dribbling for Dacia was originally slated to be held at Veterans Elementary, but was moved to the High School due to higher-than-expected turnouts. Pray said she and her family felt considerable gratitude for all of the help they received from faculty, students, prize donors and others who worked behind the scenes to help make Dribbling for Dacia and other events held in support of the Dacia Pray Memorial Foundation happen.
“We feel it’s with heartfelt gratitude when we see so many people come to the events and their generosity,” she said. “It means a lot to us. We certainly appreciate it.”
A surprise contribution came in the form of a visit from the Big Nazo Puppets. A gang of gargantuan puppets that has performed at several Central Falls High School events, the Big Nazo entourage surprised Pray and her fellow volunteers with a performance at last week’s Dribbling for Dacia event, in which the puppets briefly took to the court.
The Veterans Elementary students won the game against their teachers that night, with a close score of 34-33. And while Pray noted that the students had won the previous year’s game as well, she and her sister-in-law Erin Champagne said that the games offered students an opportunity to do more than show up their teachers. Both noted that the event seemed to foster a deeper bond between the teachers and students, as students were given the opportunity to see their teachers functioning as something other than teachers- and have no small amount of fun doing it.
“I just can’t say enough about this,” Champagne said. “The feedback I’m getting from the teachers is that the kids were so pumped. I think it really reinforces the student-teacher bond.”