Memorial for slain Hamilton teen to be removed by school board

On the lawn outside Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School, a tree stump decorated with stuffed animals, potted plants, painted rocks, string lights and an arrangement with ribbon that reads Merry Christmas" serves as a reminder of Devan Selvey's life and death.

More than a year and a half after the 14-year-old student was fatally stabbed outside the east-end high school, the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) plans to remove the memorial.

I'm kind of on the fence with it because I do understand where they're coming from," said Shari-Ann Selvey, Devan's mother. But on the other side of that, Devan's friends go there, neighbours in that neighbourhood go there. It's not just for me and my family, the other people want it to stay there because they go there."

Shari-Ann said the board first approached her about the memorial a couple of weeks ago, and the discussion remains ongoing.

It's mixed emotions because Devan's friends think that the school is trying to erase him and they're having a hard time with that," she said.

In an emailed statement, HWDSB education director Manny Figueiredo said schools should not serve as the main venue for the memorialization of an incident."

Schools are places where students must attend and if viewing the site daily causes discomfort, then it could have a negative impact on their school experience," he said. Often, the intent behind these memorials are to help people not forget and to stay committed to the event so that it is not repeated. However, memorials can also cause harm as they may evoke strong memories or trigger other fears and concerns."

Figueiredo said the board's manager of social work services reached out to Shari-Ann to start the conversation about how we can honour Devan ... while ensuring that we meet the needs of our current and future students of the school."

As anyone who has experienced loss can understand, informing a parent that their child's temporary memorial site will be removed would reintroduce trauma," he said.

Sadie Neil, a Grade 11 student at the school, launched a petition to save the memorial, which was erected the day after his death on Oct. 7, 2019, and has been taken care of by the community ever since.

Neil said she doesn't think it's right that the board remove the memorial.

They're just trying to push it under the rug and just not do anything about it and just kind of move on," she said.

As of Monday afternoon, the petition had more than 1,400 signatures.

According to HWDSB guidelines for memorialization, donations of trees and benches, among other types of memorials, will not be approved, but temporary acknowledgement may occur."

Memorialization is important but it can occur in special places where people can choose to attend when comfortable for them," the document reads. School buildings do not allow that option as people need to attend and as such some may be put in an emotionally uncomfortable position."

The guidelines say decisions should be made after six months to allow initial stages of grief and shock to subside."

Shari-Ann said she is discussing alternatives with the board, including a plaque on a bench or renaming the adjacent skate park, where Devan and his friends used to hang out, but no decisions have been made.

There's got to be some way that we can remember Devan and Devan's story so that people stay vigilant and protect our youth," she said. No kid should have to be afraid to go to school, and no kid should ever have to be miserable being at school because of somebody else. And if you lose the story, then you lose the message."

Kate McCullough is a Hamilton-based reporter covering education at The Spectator. Her work is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. Reach her via email: kmccullough@thespec.com