One year after fatal shooting, Mount Tabor High School honors student with tree dedication

Thursday marked the one-year anniversary of the fatal shooting at Mount Tabor High School in Forsyth County. 

On Sept. 1, 2021, 15-year-old William Chavis Raynard Miller, Jr. died after being shot at the school by another student. 

In honor of Miller, school staff and students held a moment of silence this year. They also planted and dedicated a tree for him in the Spartan Memory Garden.

The garden is located on campus, beside the athletics stadium. It's made up of crepe myrtle trees with white flowers, each planted for a student or teacher who has died. 

Now, a new young tree joins the others. At its base is a plaque that reads "William Miller, Student, 2021."

Mount Tabor Principal Evette Clemons says the trees in the garden represent a permanent sense of belonging in the school community. 

“It was important for us to make sure that their memory remains here at Mount Tabor because once a Spartan, always a Spartan,” she said. 

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Superintendent Tricia McManus and two school board members visited the tree later in the day. 
 

Amy Diaz covers education for WFDD in partnership with Report For America. You can follow her on Twitter at @amydiaze.