Rededication of National Memorial to Fallen Educators is planned next week.
The rededication on June 21 will add names of teachers and staff lost over the last year. Assistant Director of Marketing and Media Relations at Emporia State University Gwen Larson says after recently receiving national recognition, the ceremony will likely have a large presence.
Names to be added this year include teachers and staff members lost in the Parkland, Fla., and Santa Fe, Texas school shootings, as well as those lost in accidents.
Larson also said the National Teachers Hall of Fame will now also be the permanent home the commemorative dream catcher for school shootings. Created 19 years ago by students in Muskegon, Mich., for the victims of the 1999 Columbine shooting, the dream catcher has had 17 temporary homes across the country until now.
Fundraising continues to add a third granite stone to the site and thus have enough space for additional names to be added in the future. Close to $40,000 overall is needed for the stone, with around $17,000 of that earmarked for the down payment. For more information, call 341-5660 or go online to www.nthf.org.