Summit Country Day School recently dedicated its new high-tech fourth floor to the memory of Sister of Notre Dame de Namur Sister Dorothy Stang with the hope that her memory will inspire students and faculty to carry on her pursuit of justice.

The dedication ceremony, planned by students and attended by members of the Summit community, was held Feb. 13. Also in attendance were members of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, who formerly taught at the high school and were friends of Sister Dorothy. The 73-year-old Sister was martyred in Brazil in February 2005 for the stand she took with farmers as they defended themselves against the ranchers and loggers who were evicting them from their land.

The renovated area is located in Summit’s main building where the Sisters resided from the time of the school’s founding in 1890 until the 1970s. The area had been closed off for the last 30 years and was unveiled last fall.

In planning the dedication ceremony, students met several times with the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and school administration. The group wanted to put crosses in classrooms and offices that represented the Sisters. To that end, they found an artisan in Brazil who created ten wall crosses made out of the wood Sister Dorothy fought to save.

To portray the images of the people Sister Dorothy served, the students used a 3-D piece which contains nine framed photos hung in front of a student-painted sunflower. The planning committee also came across a small sheet of paper containing a prayer written in Sister Dorothy’s handwriting, which became a focal piece for the team. A student touched up the writing digitally so its appearance is sharper. It was then blown up, laminated and mounted on foam board. The final step was a simple frame to help preserve it.

In addition to all these elements, the students also created eleven different plaques to hang on the walls of the new floor. They selected quotes and images of Sister Dorothy and had them attached to the wall near the door of every classroom. They also asked the Sisters for help with the text for a main dedication plaque that hangs on a pillar in the middle of the main hallway. To complete the picture, and ensure a depth of understanding, the students created wall plates with descriptions of each element.