Monday's Internet Edition, October 06, 2008.
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| Kindergarten teacher Brian Vest reads the plaque dedicated in Alyssa’s memory. |
Alyssa Jordan Thomas, age five, died on November 4, 2005 in a fire at the Colonial Arms apartments on Kinnamon Road. The fire was caused by an unattended pot on the stove. A fire alarm woke the babysitter, who ran to a neighbor for help.
The neighbor rescued two children but was unable to reach Alyssa, who was sleeping upstairs. Firemen quickly arrived on the scene and knocked down the fire to climb the stairs, but they were also unable to locate Alyssa.
The scholarship was created by Southwest kindergarten teacher Brian Vest, art teacher Amy Hancock and principal Belinda Beard.
“Alyssa was a student in my classroom,” Vest said. “She loved the visual arts, especially drawing and painting. We thought it would be a good thing to start an arts scholarship in Alyssa’s name. It’s something that will be there for a long time to come, and it seemed like a good way to remember her.”
The scholarship will allow two kindergarteners and two first graders to attend a week-long summer camp at the Sawtooth Center in Winston-Salem.
Vest explained the selection crtieria. “We were looking for students who loved and were really interested in art, showed good character and were outstanding citizens in the classroom.”
Each teacher nominated a child from his or her classroom who fit the criteria and who the teacher thought would benefit from the camp. All the names were written down on slips of paper and placed into a bag, and a randomly-selected kindergarten student drew out four slips to determine the winners.
This year’s scholarship recipients are kindergarteners Tucker Burhans and Austin Bryant and first graders Carlos Teran and Madison Hilton. They were recognized during a special memorial ceremony for Thomas held at Southwest on May 19.
“This scholarship is a fitting and wonderful way for Alyssa’s talents and gifts to live on through other children,” said principal Beard. “They will learn and grow as artists and at the same time honor Alyssa’s memory.”
During the ceremony, Vest unveiled a plaque which will be placed in the school’s Memory Garden alongside a Japanese dwarf maple tree planted in Alyssa’s memory.
The plaque is inscribed as follows: “Alyssa Jordan Thomas, January 9, 2000-November 4, 2005. May this tree always find as much sunshine as we found in you.”
“When I think about Alyssa, her life and the things she brought to our class, I think of the many times she made us smile,” said Vest during the ceremony. “She always seemed to bring sunshine into the classroom. She was a model of good behavior and was always the first one to lend comfort to her friends.”
Vest added that Alyssa’s generous and giving nature impacted the other students in his class.
“They told me that Alyssa reminded them of a book we had read- The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. I thought it was wonderful that they made that connection on their own.”
Vest’s kindergarten class then read The Giving Tree aloud. The children also made a page-for-page copy of the book in their own hand and drew their own illustrations. Both books were given to Alyssa’s parents, Brandon and Tabitah, who attended the ceremony along with Alyssa’s brother, Dallas, and other family members.
Another copy of The Giving Tree bearing a dedication to Alyssa will be placed in the school’s library.
“This book will always be a part of Southwest, just as Alyssa will be,” said kindergarten teacher Merri Roberts. “When Alyssa came through our doors last August, she embraced Southwest, and in turn Southwest embraced her. She loved school, and she thrived and excelled in every aspect of school life.”
Vest hopes the scholarship will keep Alyssa’s memory alive in the hearts and minds of Southwest’s students.
“Fifty years from now, these children won’t remember what Alyssa wore or where she lived, but they will remember who she was,” he said.
Added Beard, “Alyssa was always smiling and always willing to help someone else. That’s how we will remember her.”