Edmonton elementary school unveils buddy benches in tribute to students who recently died
An Edmonton elementary school is paying tribute to students who died this year.
Three children who attended Crawford Plains have died in the past year, and two buddy benches in their honour were unveiled Saturday.
"Last year was certainly a tragic year for Crawford plains," said the school's former principal, Lisa Nachtigal.
"But it really gave us the opportunity to come together as a whole school community and rally around each other, pull together as a family and support one another."
Buddy benches are a way for people to connect and find friendship. Sitting on one signals to other people that you're wanting someone to talk to or play with, Nachtigal said.
"We thought it was a perfect way to honour our friends that were always wanting to be everybody else's friend," she added.
One bench is engraved with the names of grade 1 students Karter and Lucas.
"They'd been best friends since [before] they were even in school and just tragic events this year, where we lost both of them, we want to keep them together and we want to celebrate that friendship that they had," Nachtigal said.
Six-year-old Karter Bourgeault died in July, after a nearly year-long battle with an inoperable brain tumour.
- Oilers superfan awaiting clinical trial screening to help treat inoperable brain cancer
- 'It hurt all over again': Family desperate for options after son rejected from clinical cancer trial
- 'I hope he can feel better': Edmonton students raise $10K to support classmate with cancer
Karter's parents launched an annual memorial ride in their son's honour Saturday, starting at the school where his bench was unveiled.
"He fought hard. He wanted to bring awareness to this so nobody else had to go through it, so we're going to keep that going for him," said Karter's mom, Nicole Fraser.
The second bench is engraved with the name Jayden. The grade 6 student and his mother were stabbed and killed outside the school in May.
- 'It doesn't feel real': Funeral held in Edmonton for mother, child killed in stabbing
- Deaths of mother, child outside Edmonton school deemed homicides: police
"I'm so so proud of the students at our school. We've gone through some of the hardest things life has thrown at you, and they just kept showing up," said Lisa Nachtigal, former Crawford Plains principal.
"We're recognizing them and how important they were to the school, the kids, all of us, the community," said Karter's mom.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Infant dies in ATV crash, N.S. RCMP says alcohol may be a factor
An infant has died and three others, including another child, were taken to hospital following an ATV crash in Forties, N.S., on Monday.
'Do not drive': Nissan warns Canadian drivers of explosion risk impacting 48,000 vehicles
Car manufacturer Nissan has issued a do-not-drive warning for some older vehicles equipped with Takata airbag inflators, due to the risk of explosion during a crash.
Charges against world's top golfer Scottie Scheffler dropped after arrest outside PGA Championship
Criminal charges against Scottie Scheffler have been dismissed, ending a legal saga that began with images of the world’s top male golfer being arrested and handcuffed in Louisville during the PGA Championship.
Canadians are eyeing moves to these cities for more affordable housing
Faced with elevated housing prices, half of Canadians in the country's largest cities are considering moving to places with more affordable housing.
'Scandals and secrets': On board the world's most exclusive private residential ship
It’s a floating city exclusively home to the 1 per cent, a playground for multimillionaires and billionaires that circumnavigates the world's oceans.
How Trump's hush money trial verdict could affect the 2024 election
Here is how three potential outcomes from the jury room ─ a guilty verdict, an acquittal or a hung jury ─ could affect the presidential campaign.
Tessa Virtue reveals she's expecting her first child. Here's what Canadians had to say
Canadian figure-skating icon Tessa Virtue is expecting her first child, she revealed via social media Tuesday.
An Iceland volcano starts erupting again, spewing lava into the sky
A volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted Wednesday for the fifth time since December, spewing red streams of lava in the latest display of nature’s power and triggering the evacuation of the popular Blue Lagoon geothermal spa.
'Are you driving?' U.S. man with suspended licence shows up on court Zoom call while behind the wheel
A Michigan man with a suspended driver's licence didn't appear to have thought through a recent court appearance made on video, joining the Zoom call while driving.