By Kim Hilsenbeck
A few months ago, the courtyard at Barton Middle School looked different than it does today. Weeds grew through the brick pavers and flower beds were unkempt and scraggly.
Fast forward to May 1. That’s the day Madalyn Raymond, a student and Girl Scout in Troop 2283, and several troop members dedicated a revived courtyard to the memory of a former Barton Middle School student, Sam Scott Courtney.
The project was part of Madalyn’s effort to earn a Silver Award – one of the highest honors a Girl Scout can receive.
Madalyn and half a dozen other Barton Middle School students, many who went to grade school with Sam at Negley Elementary in Plum Creek, stood in front of a crowd of about 80 people who came out to celebrate Sam’s life and dedicate the courtyard in his name.
They called him friend, complimented his positive attitude and recalled fond times in years past. The afternoon combined tears, laughter and bittersweet memories of a young life taken too early.
Sam died in 2012 when his family’s car was involved in an accident near Houston. But his friends’ memories of him allow his spirit to live on in that courtyard.
Above a new fountain flanked by potted flowers in full bloom hangs a plaque. Below Sam’s name and the dates of his short life, are the words the students said he abided by: Live out loud.
“That was Sam,” said one girl about the motto.
Hanging on the wall behind the podium, but off to the side, was a handmade sign saying, “Gone but not forgotten.”
With all the students who spoke, cried and reminisced about Sam, it certainly seemed as though Sam will not be forgotten.
After the dedication ceremony, Sam’s mom, Debra Courtney, said she and her family were grateful to the Barton students and Madalyn’s troop in particular for asking permission to dedicate the courtyard to her son.
“It is an amazing gift to him and to us to choose to honor him like that,” she said.
She was touched by all the students who spoke about Sam, saying, “The number of kids who spoke here was very special.”
And no, they didn’t drop any bombshells about Sam. His mom agreed that he lived out loud.
Though he only spent about three months at Barton as a sixth grader before the accident, she said he got the most bang for his buck during that time.
“If ever a child could pack three years of impressions in three months … it was Sam,” she joked. “He was an open book. You always knew what he was thinking because he was talking about it as he was thinking. He was exuberance personified.”
