A memorial garden dedicated to the four students killed at Oxford High School has opened to the public.

Gail Hulswit lives in Grand Rapids and her grandson was a student at Oxford High School when the gunshots rang out, leaving four students dead. When she heard the garden was open, she knew she had to come visit.

“When I come here again, I want to just sit on those benches there and just listen to the water,” Hulswit said. “It’s just so relaxing and just makes you think about life and the beauty of life.”

Steve St. Juliana is the father of Hana’s St. Juliana, who was killed in the shooting. He spent the last three years bringing the garden to fruition and says while it has his daughter’s name on the plaque, this garden is in memory of all of those lives cut short.

“So we have four bowls in the fountain, one for each of the students that were killed,” St. Juliana said. “Hana, Justin, Tate, and Madison. There’s groups of four cherry trees. Throughout the garden, we have this concept of four.”

The Oxford High School shooting happened on November 30, 2021. The shooter and both of his parents were subsequently sent to prison for the tragedy.

The shooter’s mother still still trying to get a new trial.