School District Approves Creation and Dedication of Memorial Garden

For most of the students at , security officer Michelle Caruso's smiling face was the first thing they saw when they came to school in the morning, and the last thing they saw when they left in the afternoon. The William Tennent community was saddened by the loss of their unofficial "mom-on-site" when Caruso died Sept. 8.

Hoping to recapture the warmth and welcomeness Caruso irradiated, students and faculty have come together to plan and create a memorial garden in her honor. The Tennent tennis team, which counts Caruso's daughter, Kayla, as a member, has led the effort, starting with gathering 125 signatures for a petition and presenting it to the school board Monday night.

"Mrs. C wasn't a teacher, so she didn't just talk to us about our grades and homework all the time," said Maria DiChiara. "She was always there with a big smile on her face and she was the easiest person to relate to."

DiChiara was one of six tennis team members who gave a short, heartfelt presentation to the school board Monday night. Afterwards, the board voted unanimously to approve of the project, with board member Kati Driban pointing out the garden will come at no additional cost to the district and that the high school administration will have final say over the location of the garden.

Under the guidance of coach Molly Leahy, the team gathered volunteers from Tennent's geometry classes and students from the landscape design program at Middle Bucks Institute of Technology who will help with the planning of the garden over the winter.

The team will also spend the next few months raising funds and collecting donations, and when Spring comes, they'll be ready to get their hands dirty.