‘Everybody’s missing her’: Arbor View graduation honors student who died after hit by car — PHOTOS

Hanging over the cheers of joy at Arbor View High School’s graduation ceremony on Tuesday was the tragedy of a lost classmate, who was struck and killed by a car driven by an alleged drunken driver just three weeks before she was set to receive her diploma.

McKenzie Scott, 18, was crossing Buffalo Drive inside the school’s marked crosswalk when she was hit by a car driven by 37-year-old Keenan Jackson, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. Afterward, Jackson struggled to stand upright during questioning, according to his arrest report, which noted that he was speeding and his blood alcohol level was nearly four times the legal limit.

Arbor View’s ceremony was one of more than 60 graduations in the Clark County School District taking place the last week of May. At the Thomas & Mack Center on Tuesday, the students celebrated their achievements while also paying tribute to Scott, wearing or pocketing ribbons with her name. School officials also began the ceremony with a moment of silence in Scott’s honor and read her name during the presentation of diplomas.

“Although she can’t be with us today, she will always be part of Arbor View’s class of 2025,” Principal Duane Bickmore said.

Scott’s family told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that they were thankful the school celebrated her, though they ultimately decided not to attend the ceremony.

“After praying on about it, it is with a heavy heart that our family decided not to attend today’s graduation ceremony. We are so grateful that our Arbor View Family included McKenzie in today’s events,” Scott’s mother, Tiffany Reynolds, wrote in a message. “Today is meant to be a day of celebration for those young adults. They worked hard to get their diplomas. We didn’t want to darken their day of joy and celebration. We wish them all long, happy, wonderful lives and hope they achieve all their dreams and goals.”

Calls for change

Scott’s death sparked outrage among those in the school community, who said four accidents took place at the same crosswalk that year. Parents and students held a rally in her honor May 7, and several students spoke at the Clark County School Board meeting May 8.

“The Arbor View community and all of Clark County have been heavily impacted by what happened to McKenzie Scott on Friday, May 2,” Arbor View Student Body President Adrianna Ornelas told the trustees.

She also referenced several other accidents at the same crosswalk and proposed installing traffic lights.

“I would like to make sure that this trend of apathy doesn’t continue. It is sad to know that precautions could’ve been taken to prevent more injuries and pain in this community,” Ornelas said.

According to his arrest report, Jackson had bloodshot eyes, a blank stare and slurred speech. He was arrested and booked on one count of DUI resulting in death, reckless driving and driving without a valid license.

Jackson remains in custody after a judge set $500,000 bail May 3.

After an initial appearance in Las Vegas Justice Court, Clark County district attorney Steve Wolfson pushed for stiffer penalties for impaired drivers.

“I don’t want McKenzie’s death and her life to have no meaning,” Wolfson said. “I want her life to have meaning moving forward.”

Ceremony celebrates Scott

Mykelle Carter, who had sociology class with Scott, said she was glad the school paid tribute to her classmate during the ceremony.

“Everybody’s missing her, but they have a lot of things that they put together, memorial-wise. So, it’s like we didn’t all forget it,” Carter said.

Gracie Schwarz, 18, said she did not know Scott very well but thought the ceremony was good.

“I like that they also read her name; that was sweet,” Schwarz said. “I think everyone was just happy that she got that.”

‘No class like Arbor View’s class of 2025’

Despite the tragedy that has hung over the school community for the past few weeks, the graduating seniors were still able to celebrate their achievements.

“We celebrate our academic achievements, but also our resilience, growth and the strength of our community,” Ornelas said in her speech to her classmates.

Tuesday’s graduation ceremony marked 20 years of Arbor View High School, which Bickmore said had produced more than 11,000 graduates during that time. He also said the class of 2025 had earned the highest academic scores in five years at the school.

“There is no class like Arbor View’s class of 2025. This class not only lived up to Arbor View’s rich history of success but decided they wanted to be the best class ever at Arbor View,” Bickmore said. “They did not only succeed, they dominated.”

Contact Katie Futterman at kfutterman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ktfutts on X and @katiefutterman.bsky.social. Review-Journal staff writer Noble Brigham contributed to this report.