Students, teachers and parents at John Hay Elementary School have been working together to make the dream of a Friendship Garden a reality.
The impetus for the project came from the family of Siri Mayo, a third-grader at John Hay who died of cancer in April 2005. The Mayo family wanted to give something back to the school, both to honor the spirit and courage of their daughter and to celebrate the spirit of friendship and strong community support they experienced during Siri's illness.
The garden, adjacent to the front entrance of the school, will include a bronze sculpture representing the Chinese character for friendship, stone benches and paving, and mosaic squares featuring a star motif inlaid into the sidewalk. Each John Hay student created a design for a mosaic, and one design from each class was selected to be incorporated into the garden. Students have been working to place glass tiles on the mosaics, which will be finished by adult volunteers before being set into the sidewalk.
A work party is planned at the school for Saturday, May 5, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Volunteers are needed to help clear the area of weeds and bark, and to dig out the area where stone pavers will be installed. Neighborhood residents are invited to stop by and help out for an hour or two.
Work on the garden will continue over the next month-and-a-half, culminating with a dedication ceremony June 12. That will include an exhibit of student artwork and writing based on the themes of friendship and community.
The project, sponsored by the John Hay Foundation, is funded by the generous support of Queen Anne community members, donations from local businesses and a grant from Seattle Department of Neighborhoods. The John Hay Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with the mission of providing financial support for programs at John Hay Elementary School.
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