OXFORD, Mich. – Nearly five years after a shooting shook Oxford High School, a garden is growing and so is the community around it.
Volunteers gathered at Hana’s Memorial Garden inside Seymour Lake Township Park to plant, reflect and honor the four students killed in the November 2021 tragedy: Hana St. Juliana, Tate Myre, Justin Shilling and Madisyn Baldwin.
A living tribute
The garden was dedicated in a ceremony last year, but work remained.
On Sunday, volunteers planted approximately 700 plants — each one chosen with intention — to help fill out the space.
Craig Smith, president of the Master Gardener Society of Oakland County, painted a picture of what the garden will look like as it matures.
“When all of these perennials grow and bloom, with what we have here it’ll be color here the entire year: spring, summer and fall,” Smith said.
For Hana’s father, Steve St. Juliana, the garden carries a message that reaches beyond Oxford.
“The garden is here as a memorial to Hana, Justin, Madisyn and Tate. And the first thing is to remember them and what happened here in Oxford can happen anywhere,” he said.
More than a garden
The morning brought together Michigan State University Extension, the Four County Community Foundation and Oxford Township Parks and Recreation for a series of activities tied to the passions and personalities of each of the four students.
Melanie Fuhrmann, a consumer horticulture educator with MSU Extension, said watching the community show up made the day feel special.
“It’s really been great to see the community connecting — just coming out for an amazing goal and to just get out and know they can come here whenever they want to just enjoy what’s going on outside,” Fuhrmann said.
St. Juliana said the garden also serves a deeper purpose, one rooted in the circumstances that led to the shooting in the first place.
“Also there needs to be the focus on mental health, especially for the kids because that’s where the shooting started from — was an imbalance on mental health,” he said.
Seeds of hope
Long after the event wrapped up, MSU Extension master gardeners will continue tending the space to keep the garden alive as a permanent, living tribute to the four students lost.
For more information about MSU Extension programs and resources, visit extension.msu.edu. To contact an expert in your area, visit extension.msu.edu/experts or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).
For more information on supporting Oxford memorial efforts, visit the websites of the Four County Community Foundation memorial fund for Hana St. Juliana, the 42 Strong Tate Myre Foundation and For the Love of Nature, the Forever Justin Shilling Foundation.