"A smile happens in a flash but its memory can last a lifetime."
Perennials, flowers and herbs, a profusion of color and pungency, were planted with love in honor of Carly Belknap-Budrow.
Carly's classmates at Fife Lake Elementary School have been creating and caring for a memorial garden in her honor since last summer, guided by master gardener and fourth-grade teacher Sally Frye.
The garden's motto above is a tribute to Carly's bright smile, which was lost in January 2007 when she died in a sledding accident during the annual Fife Lake Winterfest celebration. Carly was a third-grade student at Fife Lake Elementary School and the daughter of Tammy and Steve Budrow and Mark Belknap.
The garden has been a bridge to healing for the school's close-knit community, where many families were present at Springfield Township Park the day Carly died. The Forest Area PTO launched the project last May envisioning both closure and an ongoing educational opportunity for children working in the garden.
"It was hard for all the kids, there's only three grade levels at the school and they lost someone they knew," said Frye. "We wanted to turn it into something good. I just feel this is so good for the kids, every child planted a bulb last fall, daffodils, tulips and hyacinths."
Carly's friends, now a year older and winding up their fourth-grade year, still think of her. Many take comfort in the garden, which occupies the school's front yard and features an herb garden, a Michigan native plants section and a central raised area that is a bird and butterfly garden.
"I found a fossil and put it by her picture," said Janay Smith about memorial plaque for Carly that sits in the bird and butterfly garden. "We liked planting the flowers."
"I miss her a lot," said Nellie McDaniel as Janay added: "She wasn't mean to anybody."
The bird and butterfly area is a poignant reminder of Carly, who was an avid bird watcher.
"She would keep track of all the birds at her house and now her mom does that," said Janay.
Fife Lake Elementary School, part of the Forest Area Community Schools district, includes three grades: third, fourth and fifth. Volunteers associated with the school met over the summer to hand dig the basic outline of the garden; one work bee drew 20 parents plus their children.
"We had a dedication last fall with all the parents at the beginning of the school year," noted Frye, who hopes that next year the garden can be incorporated into curriculum.
This spring, teachers signed up their classes for shifts weeding and watering completed portions of the garden, which bloomed in a riot of color. The garden also includes two benches installed last fall as well as walking stones, one featuring an angel.
"It was beautiful when all the flowers were blooming, the tulips and crocuses," said Sue Dutton, a fourth-grade teacher. "They all helped to plant this in the fall and they all watched as different things bloomed."
Each grade will also have their own bed to design, plant and care for. Last Tuesday afternoon, students prepared the three new beds for planting by turning over and digging in fresh dirt.
Money to pay for tools, dirt, mulch, plants and other garden necessities came from a range of sources, including the PTO, the school's student council, Masons of Fife Lake, area nurseries and landscape businesses, plus other regional businesses. Fundraising will continue with students making crafts to sell, including birdhouses. Some of these birdhouses will also grace Carly's garden.
"Without the dedication and donations from all of these businesses and the many families that came out to put in the hard work, this garden never would have been possible," said Jamie Smith, a member of the committee formed to create the garden.
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