Ashley St. Onge was tragically killed last winter. A 5K road race will be held in her honor at The Loop in Methuen.

Who can forget the tragic accident that took the life of Northern Essex Community College Early Childhood Education major Ashley St. Onge last December 23rd.

St. Onge was driving on I-93 when she was spooked by icy road conditions and asked her boyfriend Nicolas Hadley, also an NECC student, to take over the driving.

Ashley pulled into the breakdown lane, and as she left the car to switch seats with Hadley, a tractor trailer driver lost control of his truck and veered into her vehicle, killing St. Onge and seriously injuring Hadley.

On Sunday, August 26, the community will honor St. Onge with the Ashley St. Onge Fly 5K, a road race hosted by Methuen Youth Soccer at the Loop in Methuen.  Proceeds from the race will fund a scholarship in St. Onge’s name, which will benefit students like St. Onge who want to become teachers.

St. Onge enrolled at Northern Essex in the fall of 2017 after graduating from Lowell Catholic High School, where she participated in the Student Council and the student dance team and volunteered three days a week as a teacher’s assistant in the Lowell Catholic Elementary School.

Christina St. Onge, Ashley’s mother and a 1990 graduate of Northern Essex, says her daughter’s dream was to go on for a master’s in special education and help children who struggle with learning.

Hadley, St. Onge’s boyfriend, is recovering from his injuries and planning to return to Northern Essex.

NECC President Lane Glenn and the President’s Running Club are planning to participate in the 5K and others from the NECC community are encouraged to run in support of St. Onge.

The event is being spearheaded by family friend and Methuen Youth Soccer Association president Danielle Osorio. MYSA will host the road race with check-in beginning at 7:30 a.m. and the run starting at 9 a.m.

Sign-up for the race has begun at Fly5K.com. There is a $30 sign-up fee for adults and $25 for kids under 12. That includes a t-shirt for those who sign up by August 16.