Students and teachers at South Meadow School in Peterborough came together last Thursday to dedicate a butterfly garden to a teacher who helped create it 16 years ago.
The event was equal parts celebration and memorial. When long-time SMS teacher Jane Momeyer died in August, the school went to work honoring her by bringing back her garden.
Eileen Couture, a Family and Consumer Science teacher who helped make the original garden, organized the project.
“I saw this garden and thought, ‘It’d be nice if I could bring this back,’” she said.
After working nearly every day – even through the thankfully mild winter – the garden was officially dedicated with a small party for students and guests.
Couture gave a short speech in which she remarked that everyone misses Momeyer’s “support, love and friendship.” She then invited guests to plant flowers with the students.
As the party went on, the butterfly garden theme really came out.
Some students served “dirt cups,” desserts made of pudding, crushed Oreo cookies and gummy worms. Others wore hats they crafted themselves from tape and newspaper.
“We decided that since it was a garden party we would make them,” student Hayley Monroe said about the hats. “Let’s have fun with it,” she said.
Even the kids who did not know Momeyer, whose husband attended, knew how important the project was.
Tracie Dailey said, “It was important to Miss Couture, so I guess it was important to us.”
Couture considered Momeyer one of her closest friends.
“You know who you share secrets with certain people – you don’t tell everybody but there’s some people you can,” she asked. “She was one of those close companions.”
She described seeing the garden completed as bittersweet. Students, including Dailey, agreed it felt gratifying. “We’ve been working on it forever,” she said.
Jane’s Garden, as its sign reads, is filled with flowers that were grown from seed in the school’s greenhouse.
Angel houses, small structures students constructed from natural building blocks like twigs and bark, decorate the space.
“We did everything by hand,” said Couture, including removing trees and roots. “We had a rototiller guy lined up, but he never showed up so we said, ‘We don’t need no stinkin’ rototiller guy.’”
As recently as September, the ground was covered by invasive day lilies, and the trees were blocking the school windows.
Students sold the lilies they dug out of the garden, making $100. That money will go to installing a stone border to protect the garden.
Jane’s Garden will be improved and maintained for future years.
Brandon Latham can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 228 or blatham@ledgertranscript.com. He is also on Twitter @blathamMLT.