Written by Tanya Terry
Shiny gold balloons decorated the meeting room at the Hilton Garden Inn Flint Downtown. The music was festive, and the playlist included “Let it Snow” by Boyz II Men, “Sleigh Ride” by TLC and “This Christmas” by Chris Brown. The attendees had their choice of about 20 menu items, ranging from chicken parmesan to grilled cheese sandwiches. Fancy looking gift bags sat on the table with candy and other more personal items for each attendee. But it wasn’t just a regular holiday party. Students attending Madison Academy high school who had lost loved ones were invited to a Holiday Remembrance Celebration.
Christel Drew, principal of Madison Academy high school, had the idea for the celebration after seeing so many students struggling, especially during the holiday season.
“We wanted to do something that was more of a celebration of life,” Drew stated.
She said the students spent enough time being sad.
Marie Haywood, owner and director of Unique Children’s Center, lost her parents at age 12. She joined the students for the celebration. Haywood encouraged the students to stand up and take deep breaths from their diaphragms. In addition, she told them other people in around them can sometimes become like family. She also gave them black journals with matching gray and black pens, telling them it could be helpful to write in them when there is no one around to talk to.
Calvin Munerlyn, 17, lost his dad May 1 and his brother August 19.
“I lost my dad to gun violence, and I lost my brother because he was off pills,” Munerlyn said. “He was getting stopped by the police, and he had something he wasn’t supposed to have basically. So, he took the pills and he overdosed.”
For Munerlyn, getting through the holidays and his deceased relatives birthdays has been difficult following these traumatic occurrences. He said, the ceremony, however helped him.
“It made me feel a little better because I feel like I can talk to the other students or staff if I really need to,” he added.
Mikah Shephard, 16, lost her stepmom December 30, 2020. She died due to cancer. The holidays have also been hard for Shephard.
“We used to do a lot of stuff during the holidays together, like shop and decorate,” she said.
Shephard said the celebration helped her to not think about these memories in a bad way and to celebrate her stepmom more.
Javana Atkins, 15, lost her mother July 17, 2011. She said she did not know the cause of her death because she hasn’t wanted to speak about it to her dad yet. She said looking at all the other girls having a bond with their mom has been hard for her.
“Everybody grieves differently, and everybody needs somebody to talk to,” Atkins said.
She said other students and staff at Madison are willing to listen.
At the end of the ceremony, with smiling faces, the students wrote messages to their lost loved ones and released the balloons into the air.
