MERIDEN — A 17-year-old boarding student attending Kimball Union Academy was killed in a motor vehicle crash early Sunday morning in Shrewsbury, Vt., Vermont State Police reported.

Macy Piersiak was remembered this week as an outgoing senior with a spirited personality who embraced the Meriden school and what it offered, taking on such responsibilities as manager of the girl’s varsity soccer team and dorm proctor.

In an email to the KUA community,  Head of School Tyler Lewis eulogized Piersiak as a student leader who “had a smile for everyone” and whose “presence was immediately felt wherever she was on campus,” emphasizing that she “absolutely LOVED KUA and the people here, and she extended that to everyone.”

“Her energy was always of uncommon generosity, spirit, and kindness,” Lewis said.

Counselors from other schools in the Upper Valley are volunteering to extend a hand to members of the KUA community, said Tricia McKeon, director of marketing and communications.

“KUA is providing ongoing counseling support through our health and wellness team, and we are also incredibly grateful to counselors from neighboring schools who, without hesitation, immediately stepped in to support our students and employees during this difficult time,” McKeon said via email on Tuesday.

Piersiak was traveling south on Cold River Road when the 2019 Dodge Ram pickup truck she was driving crossed the center line, struck a guardrail and then crashed into a tree, VSP said in a news release. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

There were no other occupants in the vehicle, police said.

The VSP news release did not provide any information about why Piersiak, from Needham, Mass., was on a rural road in central Vermont more than an hour away from KUA’s campus in the early morning hours on Sunday; police said they received a call to respond to the scene of the crash at around 4 a.m..

KUA has organized a fundraising page on boostmyschool.com to raise money to fund a scholarship at KUA in memory of Macy Piersiak. As of mid-afternoon on Tuesday, more than 80 supporters had made contributions.

John Lippman can be reached at jlippman@vnews.com.