Saugus High School students opened a “sensory garden” on Friday for special needs students at Leona Cox Elementary School to explore and experience.

Officials from the City of Santa Clarita, Saugus High and the Hart District paid tribute to Saugus High senior Tyler Nilson and his group of Saugus High students who volunteered to design and build this garden during one of the most challenging weeks of their lives.

Nilson, Saugus’ 17-year-old student government vice president and a Life Scout with Troop 581, first brought his proposal to Leona Cox Elementary as a part of his Eagle Scout project.

Although Nilson was not on campus at the time of the Saugus High shooting, many of the group’s other volunteers were, underlining their need to help younger students in the community.

“In the wake of this tragedy, I was unsure how to carry on with the project, which was scheduled to occur two days later,” Nilson said. “But I knew that there was no better way for our community to reconnect and rebuild than through service.”

Over 70 volunteers and numerous donors raised nearly $1,400 for the project, donating hundreds of service hours in time and effort to make the plan a reality.

The sensory garden project included the installation of an entry path, hand-painted welcome sign, shade tree, hopscotch pit, sensory walk, sensory wall, motor planning walk, garden decorations and other amenities.

“My hope is that these additions will serve to make the area more practical and act as a tool of learning, friendship and fun for the students and staff of Leona Cox Elementary School,” Nilson said.

Nilson mentioned that he was glad of his decision to continue moving forward with the project, working alongside 65 volunteers to complete the work last Saturday.

“I want Saugus and Leona Cox to be remembered – not as a place of tragedy, but as a living testimony of perseverance, family and love,” said Nilson

Santa Clarita Mayor Marsha McLean congratulated Nilson and the dozens of Saugus High students and parents who helped bring the sensory garden to life, accrediting their perseverance as an example of the values of the Santa Clarita community.

“What happened last week does not define the city of Santa Clarita. This defines the city of Santa Clarita,” said McLean. “It’s all about kindness and love, and Tyler – what a magnificent man, to put this together in spite of what happened.”

McLean mentioned that much of the healing process in the community can be found through helping local children understand that while the Saugus High shooting was a tragedy, it was also not a normal occurrence.

“Obviously our little kids need to understand that we’re all about love and kindness and not about what happened, and just to make things as normal as possible for the littlest ones who really don’t understand yet,” said McLean. “Getting back to normal and bringing joy to the little kids and our entire city is what counts, and that’s what Tyler did today.”

Nilson was partially inspired by his mother’s work as an occupational therapist, deciding to focus his project on benefitting the development of special needs students.

“I think we kind of took things from a practical point of view and thought about what would be most useful for helping them to build spatial awareness, their senses, help them learn out in the garden, be outdoors,” he said.

When asked of his thoughts on the outcome of the project, Nilson noted he was especially pleased not only by the reactions it was receiving, but by the teamwork that had been pivotal in achieving it.

“The results are pretty amazing. I’m most proud of the people. First the people who came to volunteer, the parents and students from Saugus and my troop who were able to bounce back from such a tragic event in just two days time and help create something beautiful,” said Nilson. “Second, I’m proud of the students here, because I strongly believe that this project will be of monumental benefit to them in developing their learning and their outdoor awareness, and I hope that it will inspire some of them to do similar things.”

Heather Drew, the principal of Leona Cox Elementary, mentioned that although the school had been considering a similar project for at least three years, it was Nilson’s proposal that really brought the area to life. 

“He came in with his proposal and it was explosive, much more than we had ever imagined,” said Drew.

Nilson’s thoughts of providing seating, shade and an interactive exhibit that would allow the students to “get in the earth and dig and grow and plant” especially stuck out to Drew. Several of the special education preschool classes actually planted some of the flowers seen in the garden on Friday, according to Drew.

“But really, the fact that our community, after such a tragic event, can pull themselves together and do something for the greater good,… it gives me goosebumps,” Drew said.

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