Memorial garden to honor Taylor Peterson
The following excerpts are from a grant proposal written by Columbia Falls High School juniors Allison Foust, Brooke Wilson and Alexi Corbett seeking funds to build a memorial garden to honor Taylor Peterson, who died of cancer on Dec. 11, 2012.
The Plum Creek Foundation recently awarded $5,000 for the project. High school English teacher Alyson Dorr, who assisted the grant writers, said the proposal received accolades from the Foundation, who called it “better than many of the requests we receive.”
“The grant funding is short of fully funding our project, so we would happily accept donations to the project,” Dorr said. “Donations can be sent to School District 6, P.O. Box 1259, Columbia Falls MT 59912 and be designated for ‘Taylor’s Memorial Garden.’”
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When Columbia Falls High School senior Taylor Peterson was given a terminal prognosis, the junior class leaders decided to use their prom funds to establish a memorial for Taylor and to have it in place by graduation. We would like to create a project which will help our school and community heal. Taylor’s fight against cancer has inspired all of us.
The junior class has selected an enchanted forest as the venue for their prom this year. We will build a pergola with seating and an arbor which will be placed on school grounds after prom as part of Taylor’s garden. We will use additional funding (Plum Creek) to create benches, a rock garden, raised perennial flower beds, and to plant trees for this garden, in Taylor’s memory.
Weather permitting, we will begin work on the designated space the last week of April and have the garden finished before the end of May. We will work with several classes and include as many students as possible in the process.
We are hoping to include benches engraved with our school mantra — Character, Focus, Honor and Strength. We anticipate classes using the seating area and garden for reading, yoga and discussions. The plot of land selected is near the gym and the Wildcat doors, a fitting place since Taylor’s passion was volleyball.
The space is readily available and in need of beautification. No trees or shrubs exist on the side of our building. This is the main side of the building and parking lot for all athletic events; because of this, we have chosen this spot in anticipation that anyone coming to watch a football, soccer, volleyball or basketball game will see this space, these trees, Taylor’s Garden and realize the impact Taylor had on our entire community.
While we hope to add 11 trees (Taylor’s volleyball number) and approximately 50 shrubs to the area, there will be one tree of significance for Taylor. At its base, we will create a rock garden in her memory. We will engrave a rock with the quote she shared on Senior Night — “Never give, up, Don’t ever give up!”
By creating a garden, a beautiful space, we can honor Taylor’s memory and help each other deal with our grief and focus on our healing. We can assure that Taylor will not be forgotten, and neither will her heroic fight against cancer.