Campus community honors boy's spirit

[LilMtnCbn]

http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Jun/06252...esda/69657.asp

Nurturing Nonviolence: Campus community honors boy's spirit

By Hilary Groutage Smith
The Salt Lake Tribune

KAYSVILLE -- Outside Mountain High School, the Davis School District's
alternative campus, blooms a beautiful garden.
There are benches, trees, pathways and a plaque dedicating the space to an
11-year-old who died recently after a lifetime of struggle from a few moments
of tragedy: "In memory of Michael Caulford, who suffered from violence," the
plaque says.
Michael was shaken by his biological parents when he was a baby, leaving
him with profound brain damage. He never licked an ice cream cone or sucked a
lollypop, but he loved riding in the car and watching the Utah Jazz play.
His short life, his adoptive parents say, will leave a lasting impression,
particularly on the students at Mountain High School. In all, about 30 students
devoted more than 160 hours to the planning and building of the garden, Welty
says.
"The garden surprises me when I look at it, even now," says Ron Caulford,
Michael's adoptive father, who marvels at the time and effort put into the
patch.
Caulford teaches critical work skills at the school, and was shocked when
the students unveiled plans for the project last spring. The school's student
council members, under the direction of Rochelle Welty, wanted to create a
memorial to victims of violence.
The students were familiar with Michael's story and death. It seemed
natural to dedicate the garden to him.
"The experience has not only educated students about violence and violence
prevention, it has also been a tool to teach," Welty says.
Throughout their son's life, Caulford and his wife, Carol, used Michael's
story to educate high school students about the dangers of shaken baby
syndrome. They took the youngster to assemblies at various schools and a
session of the Utah State Legislature, all as a stark reminder of what kind of
damage can be done in such a short amount of time.
"A lot of the students who worked on the garden remember seeing Michael
come to their school. He had a big impact on a lot of people," Ron Caulford
says.
"For teachers at Mountain High School, this project has been a powerful way
to heal, transform and empower our lives with a vision for a non-violent
world," Welty says.
"As they get older, these students can come back to this place and remember
they had a part in this garden," says Ron Caulford. "They'll remember this."
Caulford and his wife, Carol, also believe the garden will offer a reminder
to students never to shake an infant to stop the child from crying.
Michael was born July 22, 1991, and placed in foster care within a few
months. The Caulfords, no strangers to the challenges of foster care, hesitated
to attach themselves to a child who might be with them only temporarily.
"The first time we saw him, we knew he was ours," Ron Caulford remembers.
What they didn't know was the extent of the brain damage Michael had
suffered. Nevertheless, the Caulfords set up a veritable hospital in their home
and decided to include Michael in their family, no matter what. They traveled
and they had fun.
Michael died March 30, probably from pneumonia and congestive heart failure.
His body finally failed after years of struggle.
"I look at the garden as a reflection of what kind of influence Michael had
on people," Carol Caulford says. "He was an inspiration and his life had
value."