ST. BERNARD - With a smash of drums, the Marching Spartans launched into song Saturday, clarinets strong and flutes trilling sweetly. The high schoolers might have been playing for just another football game or band competition.
But several teary eyes, a few unintentional vibratos as the musicians' emotions surfaced and the choice of songs - such hymns as ''Amazing Grace'' and ''Make His Praise Glorious'' - were proof of the pain that has reigned at Roger Bacon High School since three sophomores died Tuesday on their way to school.
''We lost a member of our family here at Roger Bacon,'' said band member Kevin Behler, 18, a senior from Finneytown. ''We're gaining strength from each other, but it may take a while to recover.''
The three teens - cheerleader Sarah Garibay, 17, soccer player Greg Von Bargen, 16, and wrestler Kyle Yearion, 15 - were buried after a funeral Mass in the Catholic school's gym. Afterward, the band performed - its 100-strong ranks sorely depleted as many members opted to mourn alongside family and friends.
The Mass, many said, was a necessary step toward closure - and a return to normalcy.
''The best thing we can do now is have a normal day on Tuesday,'' said Martha Kollstedt, assistant principal and academic dean. ''We are profoundly changed - this tragedy was a reminder of how life can be very fleeting and that this moment is a very special moment. This is a new beginning.''
The service drew about 2,000.
Cincinnati police closed Vine Street north of Mitchell Avenue to accommodate the funeral procession to the cemeteries. Kyle was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Springdale; Sarah in Crown Hill Memorial Park in Colerain Township; and Greg in St. Mary's Cemetery in St. Bernard.
During the service, relatives wept. Some hugged each other for support, others grasped the casket for a last goodbye. A teacher held a box of tissues for mourners. Recorded music from pop singers Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Babyface poured from speakers.
Family members alternately sobbed and smiled as they remembered the teens.
''We know she is smiling down on us today from a place far better than this,'' said Sarah's uncle, Rob Garibay, reading a remembrance.
''In the 69 years of Roger Bacon High School, this is indeed one of our greatest moments of faith, one of our greatest moments of blessing, because we have seen how this tragedy has affected us,'' the Rev. Roger Bosse, the school's principal, said during his homily.
''In the past four days, we have experienced pain; we have experienced sorrow. But look how this has brought us together, in order to heal and comfort. There is a lot of love here today. That love, that compassion, that understanding will continue to help us today ... and in the many days to come.''
The three teens died when their speeding car collided with another car in Winton Place. Both drivers - Greg's brother, Steven Von Bargen, 17, a Roger Bacon junior, and Donald Robinson, 37, of Union Township in Clermont County - were injured. Mr. Robinson remained in fair condition Friday at Good Samaritan Hospital. A spokeswoman Saturday said the family asked that no information be released.
Neither driver remembers the accident, Cincinnati police said.
Police say Steven Von Bargen was driving more than 60 mph in a 35-mph zone when he went into a skid on Este Avenue.
Previous stories
THOUSANDS BID TEENS GOODBYE Jan. 18, 1997
POLICE TRY TO RECONSTRUCT CRASH Jan. 17, 1997
PALL CAST OVER ROGER BACON Jan. 16, 1997
3 DEATHS SHATTER SCHOOL Jan. 15, 1997
