OXFORD, Mich. (WXYZ) — On Thursday, the community of Oxford remembered two years to the day when four children were killed during a school shooting.
Hana St. Juliana, Tate Myre, Madisyn Baldwin and Justin Shilling all lost their lives in the shooting, and the community makes sure they’re never forgotten.
School was canceled in the district for a day of remembrance and there was a moment of silence at 12:51 p.m. At 7 p.m., it was "Light up Oxford," where families put small luminaries outside their homes.
In silence and in darkness, it can be hard to find light. But Thursday night in many neighborhoods and in this community, light was all around.
“The last two years have been really hard," Oxford parent Marissa Prince said. "I think we all think of these children every day.”
Prince lives in a tight-nit neighborhood, where two years ago on Nov. 30, they lost one of their own.
“Hana was our neighbor," Prince said. "We're standing at Jana's bus stop.”
Where Hana boarded the bus to Oxford High School, a tree now stands. It was planted shortly after her death, and decorated with ornaments and candles. The neighborhood streets were lined with roughly 400 luminaries.
“It's just beautiful," Prince said of the luminaries. "It's peaceful, it radiates, it provides a light that makes us all remember the light that Hana was in our lives.”
With school canceled, neighborhood families spent the day lining the streets, with families of some of the victims coming to visit.
“Doing things like this, it's just a small thing to come together as neighbors,” Prince said.
At the high school’s football field, another parent set up four spotlights to send four beam of light into heaven so Hana, Justin, Tate and Madisyn know their community still remembers, loves, and shines Oxford Strong.
“I think we just want everyone to know how loved and missed these children are,” Prince said.
Oxford Community Schools closed for the day, and the All For Oxford Resiliency Center offered extended hours . The school district also posted a link on their website for support services.
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