Eden Rae Adams

As the butterflies emerged from their netting and settled upon the lavender twist tree in the center of the garden, Eden Adams' friends, classmates and family felt her spirit surround them.

Members of the New Albany-Plain Local School District gathered Tuesday, June 2, to celebrate the life of Adams, who in December died of Neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer.

Over the past few months, Adams' classmates and teachers designed, planted and decorated a butterfly-shaped garden outside the 2-5 building and next to the NA-PLS administration building to honor Adams.

"Thank you very much for this very special tribute," Rourke Adams, Eden's father, said during the garden dedication. "What I didn't realize is how (Eden) impacted the entire community."

Though the dedication was bittersweet, he said, he was overjoyed to see how many people's lives his daughter had touched during her short life.

"I'm ecstatic about the continuous support from the community," Rourke Adams said. "I knew it was going to be emotional."

Amy Simpson, Eden's third-grade teacher, said she was so proud that the community came together to celebrate Eden and support her family.

"I am really proud to teach in a district where everyone comes together to support the schools," she said. "They saw that it's good to give back."

Eden's mother, Lisa Adams, said her daughter would have enjoyed the garden because she loved butterflies and pink and purple flowers.

"I'm thrilled to see all the people here," she said. "She would have loved all the butterflies."

Bill Resch, who works with the district on its environmental science programs, helped design the garden. He said he worked with the teachers and children to study which plants would attract monarch butterflies.

They planted butterfly and swamp milkweed, sedum, clethra, echinacea and parsley, among others. They also placed rocks in the garden for the butterflies to sun themselves and painted butterfly houses.

Resch said the garden would be used to not only honor Eden but also to educate elementary and middle school students about the life cycle of a butterfly -- a study that's already apart of the schools' curricula.

In elementary school, students learn about the insect's life cycle, and in middle school, students tag butterflies to follow their life and migration patterns.

"Eden loved butterflies," Resch said. "They were her favorite object of nature. It's (the garden) going to be ongoing for Eden's peers."

Rachel Young, who taught Eden in her second-grade class last year, said the school has been working on the garden since January.

"It's a wonderful place to appreciate flowers and beauty and continue to appreciate Eden's life," she said. "We can continue to watch it grow and continue to have Eden bless our lives."

Thank you to Becky Johnson for the Photographs