Approximately 130 tiles, painted by over 100 students and teachers, are being installed in a memorial garden created in memory of Sherry Tozlian-Wood, a Jordan teacher who passed away from stomach cancer two years ago.

"[The tiles are] a way for students and friends and anyone else to be a part of the memorial," said project coordinator freshman Rafael Cahill.

The tiles are being made with an ocean theme in mind to commemorate Tozlian-Wood’s passion for surfing. Among the many paintings of tropical fish lay tiles with pictures featuring beach jalopies, mermaids, ocean sunsets, and of course, surfers. In order to evoke an ocean feel and bring the tiles together, the colors were limited to shades of green, blue and beige.

“[The purpose of the palette was] to try and get that feeling of the ocean,” said Jordan teacher Leslie Goldman, who provided her classroom for the painting sessions.

All of the handmade artwork will be installed on the sides of a bench in the Memorial Garden, located in the F wing at Jordan Middle School. Previously, the Memorial Garden committee had pushed for the tiles to be built into the top of the bench, but the idea was changed because of concerns that student skaters would ruin the artwork. The garden is nearly completed, save for a capping block, a plaque, and the tiles.

Tozlian-Wood taught seven years in Fresno before coming to Jordan where she taught for three years. At Jordan, she was a sixth grade English and Social Studies core teacher. The trait that students and faculty remember most about her was her kindness towards everyone.

“She related to her students as a person, not a teacher,” said Robin Levy, a sixth grade teacher at Jordan.

Cahill, who had Tozlian-Wood as one of his sixth grade core teachers, is creating the memorial as his Eagle Project, a community service mission for older boy scouts. Cahill added that he would have assisted in honoring Tozlian-Wood’s memory regardless of the community service hours.

Cahill estimates that so far he has contributed 60 hours of his own time to the project. About 30 of those hours were spent planning the project and addressing safety, budget, and management concerns. To get the word out, Cahill has sent a message through the Paly Link email newsletter, posted sign-up sheets at Jordan, and persuaded many of his own friends at Paly to come and paint a tile.

Tile painting sessions have officially ended, but if there is enough interest, there will be additional sessions held after the dedication ceremony, which will occur today in the garden at 3:15 p.m.

“In a way, it [the garden] will be a tribute to all great teachers,” Sean Cahill, Rafael Cahill’s father, said.

For more information about the memorial garden and tile painting, contact Rafael Cahill at [email protected].