CHINA — Everyone knows Paige “Power” Reed. Whether it be from her cartwheels in the gymnasium, her school spirit, or her “spunky” attitude, the whole Erskine Academy community has missed her presence for the past 55 days she has been absent from school, battling cancer.

To celebrate both her 19th birthday and for her to reign as “Most Spirited” during the annual Winter Carnival at Erskine, the school held a processional Tuesday afternoon for her and surprised her and her family with a $14,129 check. Officials say they are continuing to receive more donations raised from Erskine and surrounding schools to go toward her cancer treatment.

The Erskine Academy students — around 520 of them — stood out in the frigid temperatures in the mid-teens outside the school buildings Tuesday afternoon and wore their blue “Paige ‘Power’ Reed” shirts in support. Students made signs and held them up, the band played and the cheering team, which Reed is a part of, raised their pom-poms.

Paige Reed greets her Erskine Academy classmates Tuesday afternoon at the China school. Reed, 18, a senior, is battling cancer. Students raised more than $14,000 to assist her family as she receives treatment in Boston, according to the school’s headmaster. Andy Molloy/Kennebec Journal

Reed had no idea when she arrived at the school Tuesday of the festivities, which also marked International Childhood Cancer Day. But in high spirits, she sat in the front seat of her family car and waved back with a huge smile to the students who were just as excited to see her. Her car followed a fire truck and patrol car.

“We miss Paige, we are saying it every week,” said senior Jesse Cowing, with classmate Parker Reynolds pitching in saying she is the “school spirit” of Erskine. Reed was named this year’s “Most Spirited.”

Reed has missed school since Nov. 9 due to her second bout with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and has missed 55 days of school since then. According to her family’s Facebook page for Reed, where they regularly post updates on how she is doing, she is one of few people who have a reoccurring form of the cancer and is one of an even smaller group of people with Down syndrome to contract the disease.

Two days a week, Reed makes a trip down to Portland for treatment and once a month, she has to drive to Boston.

The event was thought of by Julie Wing, Reed’s cheering coach, who had wanted to do something for Reed to show her the community is thinking of her and cares about her deeply. The headmaster of Erskine, Michael McQuarrie, gave the OK and together they thought the perfect time to do something was during the Winter Carnival.

Paige Reed surveys the crowd of classmates at Erskine Academy that greeted her Tuesday afternoon when she arrived at the China school. The senior is currently battling cancer and students raised over $14,000 to assist her family as she receives treatment in Boston, according to the school’s headmaster. Andy Molloy/Kennebec Journal

Reed has been a part of the team for the past four years and calls it her “passion.” Most of the money raised for Reed’s cancer treatment was from cheering teams across the central Maine area, Wing said. Lawrence High School, Gardiner Area High School and Morse High School were a few that pitched in to help.

In addition, most of the money raised came from selling 600 of the “Paige ‘Power’ Reed” shirts and 50% of the winter sport ticket sales went toward the fundraiser. There was also a fundraiser at The Red Barn restaurant in Augusta. Wing said the nickname “Power” came as a way for them to incorporate a pom-pom in the word on the shirts.

Reed and her family were presented with the more than $14,000 check at the end of the processional and students bought gift cards on their own to donate to the family as well.

Wing called Reed an “inspiration” and said she has been a large part of the team and joked that she brings “most of the sass.” Reed has been missed greatly by her peers on the cheering team, who stood front row, cheering her on as she drove by.

“If anyone is having a bad day, she always cheers them up,” said Hailey Fongemie, a sophomore on the cheering team.

Keanah Young added, “She is always doing cartwheels around the gym. She’s known for them.”

Daniel Tibbets, who held a sign for Reed wishing her a speedy recovery, said the winter carnival and school “is not the same” without Reed, who would constantly tell students to “cheer harder and louder” and bring smiles to people’s faces.

McQuarrie said “it means so much” that the community was able to assemble for Reed.

“The winter carnival is a traditional event and to be able to restore it and bring it to the most loved member of the community, who has such love for the school and calls it her ‘joy,’ it was a way of compressing our love and support to show her the love and support,” he said. “I’m so proud of the community for stepping up.”