Everyone has lost something at one point or another, but sometimes those things can’t be replaced. Losing a person is one of the most unfortunate things anyone can go through. A loved one who took up a huge part of your life is now gone. Someone who was your world. Someone you created and brought into this world and spent so many treasured moments with, your baby. They say no parent should outlive their child, and it’s absolutely true.

When the tragic loss of a child occurs, an entire school community feels the aftermath. Healing takes time, but there are ways to aid this process.

Of course, the parents are most deeply affected by this loss, but they are not the only ones left behind. Sure, students like Brayden Mason affected the lives of his family members, but his passing also rocked every Perry student who knew him.

In the unfortunate loss of a cherished student, some may want a memorial to be put up on campus. Currently, the final decision is left up to parents to make a final decision on whether or not something like that is arranged. Understandably so, that is their flesh and blood after all. But friends who lost them too should also have a say.

If keeping the memory of such students alive is the priority of everyone who knew them, an on-campus memorial commemorating their time as a Puma is a way in which the memory of late students can be honored as long as the school remains open.

Undoubtedly there are many things a family may take into consideration when deciding on a memorial, with cost being perhaps the most important factor. If a student’s peers were permitted to take on the task of an on-campus memorial, the financial stress felt by families would be eliminated. Students can work together to save up money for memorials. There could be fundraisers or donations taken by the school community to create a memorial that respects and preserves the legacy of students like Mason.

While this time is so difficult for friends and family, celebrating the life of a passing can be healing. Unless explicitly stated by the family that an on-campus memorial is something they do not want, there should be no sense of disrespect or overstepping in allowing those who knew a student to honor them with such a display.

Grief is something that can cripple an entire community, something that can suffocate you if you suppress the pain and attempt to heal too quickly. An on-campus memorial is a way for students to be able to honor the memory of a lost friend, and heal together not as a school —  but as a family.