It’s been almost four years since a car crash on Alabama Highway 160 claimed the lives of three Hayden High cheerleaders.

Now, thanks to a new electronic sign, their lives will be remembered for years to come.

The sign was dedicated on Friday in a brief ceremony, and was activated by the families of Courtney Niceley, Whitney Bradford and Sarah Casey. It is placed at the intersection of Highway 160 and Atwood Road, where motorists turn off the highway to go to the school. The owner of that property donated the portion of land where the sign is installed.

In fact, nearly all of the work and materials for installing the sign was donated by local residents, according to Hayden High counselor Karron Standridge.

Most of the funds to buy the sign came from donations which streamed in just after the girls’ death, more than $11,000. That money had been sitting in the bank, waiting for an appropriate memorial at an appropriate time.

Standridge got the ball rolling on the project in May. She shopped around for a sign, and found one for $16,000, leaving the project short.

“I told [Principal Allen] Hargett that we would probably need three fundraisers to raise the money, and I asked if we could go ahead and order the sign,” Standridge said at the dedication. “We did a dodgeball tournament one afternoon, and we raised $2,300. That same day, some club sponsors came to me, saying they’d give $500 out of their club and $250 out of another club. … By the end of the day, we had raised $5,000 for the sign.”

The sign arrived in August.

“Every morning when I drive in to work … I’m going to think about three wonderful young ladies — Courtney Niceley, Whitney Bradford and Sarah Casey,” Hargett said. “And every time I see this sign, I’m going to have very, very fond memories of them.”

Niceley’s mother, Beverly, made the trip to the dedication from Jacksonville, Fla., where the family moved shortly after the tragedy.

“I come back every year to give Courtney’s scholarship,” Niceley said, referring to a scholarship established in her daughter’s memory. “This community and this school still take care of my family. It’s amazing.”

The sign bears the names of the three girls along with the slogan, “Forever the Spirit of Hayden.” That was also the first message to scroll across the sign when family members flipped the switch.

The crash which claimed their lives was the deadliest of several along Highway 160, a narrow, curve-filled road that long ago exceeded the traffic levels it was designed for. The numerous accidents sparked the grass-roots group, “Highway 160 Promise,” which pushed for safety improvements along the road. The name for the group was taken from a campaign promise made by then-Gov. Bob Riley.

The Alabama Department of Transportation has since proposed numerous changes for the segment between the Interstate 65 interchange and the CSX railroad overpass in Hayden.

The crash was believed to be the result of an over-correction to avoid an oncoming car. In addition to the three deaths, four other Hayden High students were injured.