Who was Alaina Dildine, 15-year old who drowned in Whiteland High pool?

A 15-year-old Indiana high schooler, identified as Alaina Dildine, who was swimming in her school’s pool during a physical education class drowned Tuesday afternoon.

Dildine, who was pronounced dead after she was pulled from the swimming pool at Whiteland Community High School Tuesday, had a heart of gold, according to a GoFundMe page started to support her family.

Dildine’s family released the following statement Friday:

“This past Tuesday every parents’ worst nightmare became our reality. We lost our beloved daughter, Alaina, when she drowned during P.E. class at Whiteland Community High School.

Our entire family is deeply devastated by this unforeseen tragedy and requests privacy and respect from the media and the public as we mourn the loss of Alaina. We are in a state of profound grief and shock, and we ask for time and space to grieve and remember Alaina in peace.

We kindly request that all media outlets and representatives refrain from contacting the family directly or attempting to interview them. We understand the media’s interest in covering this tragic incident, but we ask for your understanding and empathy by respecting our wishes for privacy.”

According to Patrick Spray, the superintendent of Clark-Pleasant Community School Corporation, the fundraiser was started with her family’s consent. “This young lady was such a beautiful human, who loved her family, friends, her community, art, animals and band,” Spray said at a press conference Wednesday.

Dildine, a high school freshman, died Tuesday while swimming laps during gym class in the pool. Her death is under investigation.

The teen went under the water close to the bulkhead of the aquatic facility, according to Superintendent Patrick Spray, who also confirmed that a lifeguard was on duty at the time. The pool was closed for the rest of the academic year as the teen’s friends and family grieved and the neighborhood came together to support her surviving family members. Although the precise cause of the drowning is currently unknown, Alaina’s social media pages and the GoFundMe both confirm that she had epilepsy.