There was an outpouring of grief Wednesday at the University of Calgary, where people remembered five students killed a year ago at a Brentwood house party.
On the anniversary of their murders, the school hosted a brand new festival meant to promote mental health and wellness, and also a private memorial for those close to the victims.
“It was beautiful, I was glad to see so many people show up,” said Dylan Beesley, who attended the event.
Beesley and his wife were friends of Jordan Segura, who was stabbed to death on April 15th, 2014, along with Kaiti Perras, Zackariah Rathwell, Lawrence Hong and Joshua Hunter.
“We’re going to remember (Segura),” Beesley said, through tears. “We’re going to have a drink for him and remember the good times we had.”
Calgary’s mayor spoke with some of the families at the memorial.
“(The anniversary) is a tough day for many of them, but universally they are happy to remember the support they received,” Naheed Nenshi said.
With input from family and friends of the victims, the school hosted the UStrongCalgary festival on the anniversary.
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It was paid for with a donation from a Calgary family that donated $5 million after the tragedy, to help the school build a stronger, more resilient campus.
The family is not connected to the murders.
“What we’ve learned over the past year is community matters,” said Elizabeth Cannon, the U of C’s president. “People want to be together, they want to be supporting one another, and they want to be remembering the five individuals who were tragically taken for us.”
The festival offered a free, family-friendly end of year celebration with an artisan market, live music, meditation space and even yoga and Zumba.
Guests could write down the sources of their strength on coloured paper “leaves” to add to a community art project known as the Strength Wall, which depicts several large trees.
The donation is also paying for a year-round bystander intervention program for faculty, students and staff.
“(The program will) give them the skills to help each other, to support each other to recognize when others are in trouble,” said Debbie Bruckmer, director of Student Wellness Access & Support.
Kate Allen, a friend of Hong, said he would have loved the festival but for her personally, it was difficult day.
“I was going to go to (Bermuda Shorts Day) last year, and at the last moment decided not to,” Allen explained. “And so there is a lot of feelings about what would have happened if I’d been there.”
The U of C students’ union president agreed the tragedy continues to affect the entire campus.
“I remember last year, waking up with just phone calls and texts from my mom, and friends — what happened, where are you, are you OK?” Jarett Henry said. “I think every single student on campus had that experience and we’ve been living with it ever since.”
Matthew De Grood, 23, is charged with five counts of first degree murder in the case.
He was recently found fit to stand trial.
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