DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) – Former teachers, friends, and coaches gathered Thursday to remember the life of 10-year old Breasia Terrell.
They were putting the finishing touches on a memorial garden in her honor. School officials tell me the most important parts came from the people who knew Breasia best.
“Today was not necessarily like a ceremony per se,” said Benjamin Driscoll, former principal of Monroe Elementary. “As much as just giving the kids an opportunity to, to leave a message for for their classmate and in their former teammate, and their friend.”
Students were painting designs onto rocks laid throughout the garden.
“In art we made our design, I made a butterfly and she said it was okay. So I drew it on my rock,” said Vivyana Sanchez, a friend of Breasia.
“I made a heart. I made a flower with purple because that was her favorite color.” said Breasia’s cousin Dariyonna Terrell.
Many of the rocks also had a basketball on them, a favorite sport of Breasia’s.
″You couldn’t see a happier kid that loves to play the game,” said Kristyn McIntire, who coached Breasia during her time on the basketball team. “And she had the prettiest smile, most beautiful eyes. I mean, she lit up the basketball court when she walked on it.”
The garden is a collaboration between Monroe Elementary, the Terrell Family, and local nonprofits One Eighty and Project 15:12. A memorial bench, a cross, windchimes, and landscaping create a space where Driscoll says he hopes the community will stop to reflect on Breasia’s life.
“She will love it all because she knows it’s meant for her and that we care about her.” said another classmate of Breasia’s, Barbie Cruz.
“It feels really good. Just to have something here to always remember her by,” said McIntire. “I mean, that’s not going to go anywhere that is here for good.”
Copyright 2022 KWQC. All rights reserved.
