A drum beat softly, like a heart.

Students filed one-by-one to drop paper hearts with the names of friends or loved ones into a newly dug hole in front of Bayview School. The bright red hearts fluttered as students released them over the fresh dirt.

Students watched in silence with their own thoughts, perhaps remembering their friends, Jayson Jelinek and Kelly Frantz who died tragically in a car crash in March.

One of the two survivors from that crash, Micah Petrich, placed his own paper heart carefully in the ground and walked away in silence with his head bowed.

After all the hearts were in, a young, straight cherry tree with bronze leaves was planted in the hole.

Next spring it will flower with bright pink blossoms.

“This tree will hold a lot of memories. Many of you have had a lot of losses in your life. But with every loss there is a memory and memories are an important part of who we are,” counselor Carol Lambias told the students.

“It is important to honor the loss of all of us. Those losses can help us go on and create more memories,” Lambias said.

“All of our hearts are at the root of this tree,” she said.

Lambias told the students the tree was an important symbol not only for the school and future classes at the school, but for the community as they drive by.

Bayview student Jeff Riggs said after the ceremony that it was important to all of the students.

“It was necessary for some closure,” Riggs said.