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Seniors at Luverne High School gave back to the community Friday during their annual Senior Service Day.
While they picked up trash and cleaned up landscaped areas, they didn’t forget that a classmate is missing the final days of high school.
As a gesture of support, seniors gave a portrait of the LHS Class of 2022 to Wendy and Tony Gacke, whose daughter Daniella committed suicide when she was entering eighth grade in 2017.
“This class experienced a big loss, but more importantly the Gackes experienced an incredible loss,” said High School Principal Ryan Johnson, who organized the photo gift.
“While our seniors are going through their final years of high school with prom, baccalaureate, academic awards, hanging out with classmates, open houses and graduation, the Gackes are experiencing the loss of not going through that. While we cannot fix that, we can try and remember them in small ways.”
Senior Service Day replaces the traditional Senior Skip Day, where students purposely skip classes on a Friday.
The morning culminates with a picnic lunch at the city park, and students are excused from school for the afternoon.
This year 25 of the seniors traveled to the Gackes’ acreage south of Luverne where they cleaned a remembrance garden made in 2017 as a “Rock It with Dani” life celebration.
Back then, many of the now senior students painted rocks with messages of life, hope and kindness, while sharing stories about Dani.
The Gackes’ focus was to prevent at least one family from going through the loss of a child through suicide, while providing support for the young teenagers.
At the senior lunch, Wendy Gacke said many of those rocks painted five years ago are still visible in the garden.
Each year since Dani’s death, the Gackes have openly welcomed students back to their acreage, and another visit is set for June 4, Dani’s birthday. She would have turned 18.
Wendy lamented that as Dani’s classmates prepare to leave home for college and careers, the annual gatherings may be coming to an end.
“It may be one last time we can gather together,” she said.
Friday’s Senior Service Day was a chance for the Class of 2022 to include the Gacke family whose daughter would have graduated high school later this month.
“While we cannot fix that, we can try and remember them in some special ways — to be a source of encouragement and know that this class and community support them, care for them, and empathize with the feelings they have, and hope to help in some way along their journey of healing,” Johnson said.