MANCHESTER –Township high school students gave a special presentation during a recent Board of Education meeting in preparation of a special community event.
As an extension of maintaining the Manchester Township High School (MTHS) Fallen Hawks Garden, these students are hosting a candlelight vigil to honor Hawks lost during their time at MTHS and they are seeking help from the community.
The garden reopened in the spring of 2021 and each year’s Leadership Seminar Class has taken on the responsibility of maintaining and improving it. This year’s Leadership Seminar students decided to host a candlelight vigil.
The Fallen Hawks Memorial Garden is located outdoors in the center of the high school. This is where former students and staff members are memorialized. Each individual has a personalized plaque that is displayed on the garden wall. The vigil will bring families of these fallen Hawks together for an evening of candlelight and words of remembrance.
Manchester Township High School Leadership Seminar Class students gather during a Board of Education meeting to announce their plans and to seek community support for the Fallen Hawks Memorial Garden. (Photo courtesy Manchester Schools)
These students are calling on community members to help them provide a special experience for families of the fallen Hawks. They are looking for monetary and/or gift card donations to purchase butterflies for a release, candles, and general event supplies; food and beverage donations from local restaurants and businesses; gift cards from restaurants and local businesses to purchase refreshments; landscaping support to help freshen up the garden and gazebo, remove dead plants, and landscape the pond, flower donations, and more.
Interested individuals, groups, communities and businesses who wish to make a donation and supporting the MTHS Leadership Seminar Students in this community connection project should contact their teacher, Sarah Paturzo at spaturzo@mtschools.org.
Donations can be mailed directly to Manchester Township High School, Leadership Seminar Event c/o Mrs. Sarah Patruzo 101 Hawks Way, Manchester Township, NJ 08759
Students are hoping for monetary or gift card donations to be sent by April 1 to provide them enough time to order the event supplies and food.
Members of the Manchester Township High School Leadership Seminar Class need community help for an upcoming event this spring. (Photo courtesy Manchester Schools)
The MTHS Fallen Hawks Memorial Garden was created in 2012 by members of the Class of 2014 to honor those who passed away while they were a student or staff member at the Home of the Hawks.
The Class of 2014 experienced the loss of multiple classmates and teachers which motivated them to create this sacred space in remembrance of their peers.
The Leadership Seminar students from the 2020-2021 school year took on the project of restoring, improving, and gaining approval for the reopening of the garden. For more information about the Fallen Hawks Memorial Garden, please visit: Fallen Hawks Memorial Garden – Home
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