Austin ISD trustees on June 22 named the courtyard at South Austin’s future Bear Creek Elementary School in honor of Hunter Lane Henderson, a South Austin 4-year-old who passed away in 2018.

“This is a conversation that I have had with a particular family who is part of the Bear Creek community and is a family that is very dear to that community,” trustee Yasmin Wagner said. “Very sadly their young son was lost to us and would have been a student at Bear Creek this coming year. I don’t want to dwell on the sad part of the story because what I want is to focus on is what a sweet and beautiful child he was and that he loved the outdoors and he loved to play.”

Wagner said that the outdoor courtyard of Bear Creek Elementary is the “heart of the campus” and that most of the school’s windows and corridors face the outdoor area.

“This community has wrapped its arms around this family and has very much supported that we honor him in some way and keep his memory alive at that school,” she said. “It’s a beautiful gathering space that frames a grove of huge oak trees, so I can’t think of a better place to honor a child who loved to play and loved the outdoors. I hope that will very much make sure Hunter’s memory is part of the fabric of that school.”