Three years after Varvara Taranda was killed in an ATV accident during the summer after her freshman year, the senior class has decided to honor her memory by creating an art piece inspired by her poetry.

“I knew Varvara for four years. She wasn’t the most vocal, but when you took the time to talk to her, she was incredible. She would walk you through something you didn’t understand in class if you asked her too, which I did. Varvara was also very artistic. She was always doodling, and she wrote beautiful poetry,” senior Sarah Verhulst said.

Verhulst and senior Sam Gerstner found the inspiration for Taranda’s memorial after a family member made a video featuring some of her poetry on the one-year anniversary of her death.

“Sam and I started talking in August about how Varvara never had something specifically for her at school. Originally, we wanted to get a glass sculpture commissioned based on her poem, so we went to Mr. Martinez with our idea. He told us that there was something already slightly dedicated to her, a windmill in the peace garden for all those who passed away during their time at West,” Verhulst said. “But it wasn’t specifically for Varvara. So after that, we talked about painting a mural for her in the library. We spoke to Mrs. McFarland, who was super willing to have it. I contacted her parents, and months later, they granted us permission to move forward with the plans for her memorial.”

The senior class plans to take the line, “My mind is like the universe, pulling in stardust and forming it into galaxies,” from Taranda’s poem “Roses” and paint it on the ceiling of the library in both English and Russian.

“As a person, Varavara enjoyed reading and poetry; she was also very passionate about Russia’s culture and everything surrounding it. In the memorial, we have captured all of these aspects that are a part of who she was,” Gerstner said.

In order to get everything done in the few weeks left of school, seniors are contributing to the cause by donating money, collecting money and painting.

“I’ll be doing some of the detail work, painting the components of the universe. When you’re faced with something so obviously meant to happen, there’s not a single doubt in your mind that you’ll do it. It’s been a rather smooth journey, as it should be. We’ve all banded together for a cause, which tends to smooth out any bumps in the road,” senior Kayla Smith said.

The mural will be finished on April 18, with a ceremony for the senior class and Taranda’s parents on May 2.

“I’m really glad that this memorial is going to happen for Varvara. It’s important to Sam and myself and all our classmates that we get to preserve the memory of Varvara at West and say goodbye to her. We never truly got the chance to. Senior year has already been a bonding experience for the class of 2014, but I feel that doing this for Varvara is bringing us together still,” Verhulst said.