PLANTING MEMORIES TEACHER LEAVES SERENE LEGACY.Byline: Eugene Tong tong 1 tr.v. tonged, tong·ing, tongs To seize, hold, or manipulate with tongs. [Back-formation from tongs. Staff Writer CANYON COUNTRY - Roses and lavender lavender, common name for any plant of the genus Lavandula, herbs or shrubby plants of the family Labiatae (mint family), most of which are native to the Mediterranean region but naturalized elsewhere. The true lavender (L. growing from what was once a patch of dirt along a back road at La Mesa La Mesa (lə mā`sə), city (1990 pop. 52,931), San Diego co., S Calif., a suburb of San Diego; inc. 1912. It is a retail center and a popular residence for upper- and middle-income professionals in the San Diego area. Junior High is the legacy of a beloved science teacher who died in January after a four-year bout with cancer. A soft rain fell on the ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday at the Elizabeth Hein Serenity Garden, which students and other volunteers planted over the past three months to finish the project started by Hein. ``It was just dust and dirt,'' said her husband, Tony Hein. ``It was like a fight against destiny. She would plant and water it. But the plants - they tend to die in the summer.'' More than 150 students from Elizabeth Hein's seventh-grade classes joined members of her family at the garden: a patch of trees, shrubs and flowers - with wood chips to keep away the weeds 1. weeds - Refers to development projects or algorithms that have no possible relevance or practical application. Comes from "off in the weeds". Used in phrases like "lexical analysis for microcode is serious weeds." 2. - surrounding sur·round tr.v. sur·round·ed, sur·round·ing, sur·rounds 1. To extend on all sides of simultaneously; encircle. 2. To enclose or confine on all sides so as to bar escape or outside communication. n. a stone bench. Leading to the seat are a half-dozen stepping stones
The Stepping Stones are three prominent rocks lying 0.5 miles north of Limitrophe Island, off the southwest coast of Anvers Island. with inset colored pebbles, each representing one of her students. As part of the ceremony, the students released balloons with personal notes addressed for their teacher. ``She would be awkward with all this attention,'' Tony Hein said. ``She's always been a modest person.'' An educator for more than 25 years, Hein taught seventh-grade science at La Mesa for about two years until December 2002. Behind her classroom was a small corner of earth she adopted as her own. She planted rows of jasmine jasmine (jăs`mĭn, jăz–) or jessamine (jĕs`əmĭn), any plant of the genus Jasminum of the family Oleaceae (olive family). and lavender in it. ``It was her mission to keep students and staff from walking on this area,'' said Kimmie Frith-Smith, an English teacher who worked with Hein. Students and teachers took over the land after her death, and they raised about $2,000 for supplies to complete the garden as a memorial. Volunteers gathered to lay sprinklers, set concrete and spread wood chips. ``By planting in the garden, I was able to say goodbye,'' said Taylor Underwood Taylor Underwood was born October 1, 1785 He was born the son of John Underwood an African Slave brought over to the US. Taylor was one of the first slaves to try to escape his rights by creating a underground army. , a seventh-grader. But Tony Hein said the students themselves can create an even greater memorial to the teacher. ``The best thing you can do in her memory is to respect each other, enjoy your life and enjoy the environment,'' he said to the students. CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Kids look at a bench and path Monday in the new Elizabeth Hein Serenity Garden at La Mesa Junior High. (2) Former students of Elizabeth Hein, who died this year of cancer, release balloons with memorial messages to her. (3) English teacher Kimmie Frith-Smith sits in Hein's favorite patch at La Mesa Junior High. David R. Crane/Staff Photographer |
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