School dedicates garden, tree to Aliahna Lemmon

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - A day of dedication has wrapped up what has been one of the most difficult school years for staff and students at Holland Elementary, the school where young murder victim Aliahna Lemmon was a third grader.

On the day before students are released for summer vacation, the school community gathered Monday to honor a classmate who was brutally murdered in December.

A memorial garden was unveiled outside the front of the school.   A walking path, benches and a boulder engraved with “In Loving Memory of Aliahna Lemmon” are featured among the landscaping.

“The kids need something to focus [on] and remember to channel that energy, to channel their memories so they don’t remember the tragic but they remember the beautiful that comes out of it,” Aliahna’s classroom teacher, Shannon Harris said.

Harris and her students worked together to plant a tree, separate of the garden, in the courtyard outside their third grade classroom.  A Dwarf Korean Lilac was chosen for its purple blooms to represent Aliahna’s favorite color and because it will not grow to be very large.

“It doesn’t get very big; Ali was very tiny,” Harris said.  “Ali always had a smile on her face.  She was just a sweet, beautiful, young child.”

A custom designed bench and area rug featuring Aliahna’s name and her favorite character, Tinkerbell, were donated to the school by Cowan Custom Carpets to be displayed inside.  A memorial book was also presented by a group called Wings of Innocence.

All materials and labor to construct the various memorials were provided by community donations and support.