The Circle of Friends is a place to remember students whose lives were taken too soon, such as Kyle Curran, 1979-1996.The area is now receiving new life through the work of Leadership and WLHS alumni. Located at the West A and Skyline intersection, The Circle of Friends has been renovated to include new lunch tables, trees and flowers.

“Every leadership class has been dedicating time to refurbish the area around the Circle of Friends,” Skye Walker, junior, said. “The hope is that this will turn into a place where people congregate at lunch and before and after school.”

The Circle of Friends was first dedicated in 2001 under the vision of Nancy Curran. Fourteen years later the space is being refurbished under the vision of Jim Thornbourg, Class of 1951, who originally helped Curran establish the Circle of Friends.

“We partnered with the Class of 1951 in order to make the space more usable for high school students,” Rachel Porche, junior, said. “Before, it wasn’t a place many students spent time in.”

Now, The Circle of Friends is both a memorial and a place for students to congregate in.

“I love what all of the leadership students did to make The Circle of Friends look nicer,” Morgan Mankin, junior, said. “I am looking forward to eating out in the sun!”