RICHLAND COUNTY, SC (WIS) -
Gabbie Swainson was scheduled to walk into Ridge View High School on Thursday as a sophomore and an honors student, but she never showed up.
Much talk has been made about how Gabbie recently made the JV cheerleading squad, but most at the school know the missing 15-year-old as something else: smart, very smart.
She is part of the "Elite 21" student magnet program. It's for students who want to go into medicine.
She was supposed to be starting her second week of AP classes, already earning college credit as a sophomore. In fact, all of her classes are honors classes.
"This year is the first year were they'll be taking AP classes, so she's enrolled in AP European History. She's enrolled in a G3 Honors class," said Ridge View High School teacher Jennifer McCleod-Crady. "Every class she has is an honors class. She's enrolled in seminar classes, human anatomy where she memorizes every muscle in the human body. Very very high level work."
Her classmates are a tight group and are taking the news of Gabbie's disappearance hard.
"The conversations we're having is staying positive, make sure we can bring her home so were focused on looking at what she's done for our program and just talked and laughed about the things she has done," said McLeod-Crady.
Students also say Gabbie is the best dresser around. Her signature accessory, according to friends, is a black bow tie.
They all plan to wear black bow ties in Gabbie's honor when she returns to school.
The 15-year-old vanished from her northeast Columbia during the early morning hours of August 18.
An acquaintance of the family has been charged with kidnapping, but the teen has still not been found.
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Gabrielle Swainson
