‘Walk for Nohema’ Saturday in Fairfield

FAIRFIELD — Friends of FHS Spanish teacher Nohema Graber are invited to remember her this Saturday during the “Walk for Nohema” at Fairfield’s Chautauqua Park.

The Fairfield High School Student Council has organized the event to commemorate their teacher, who died in November, and to set up a scholarship in her honor.

The event lasts from 10 a.m. to noon. T-shirts will be sold ahead of time, and a silent auction will be held that morning, concluding at 11:45 a.m. Baskets for the silent auction are being provided by local clubs, businesses and families.

Proceeds from the event will go toward creating a scholarship in Nohema Graber’s name. In case of inclement weather, a makeup date has been set for May 7. For more information about the event, contact Heidi Grunwald at Heidi.grunwald@fairfieldsfuture.org.

Graber taught Spanish at FHS from 2012 until her death on Nov. 2, 2021. Following her death, the FHS Student Council established a special committee to plan an event to honor her. The committee consisted of all the council’s senior members: Brynley Allison, Danielle Breen, Delaney Breen, Anna Dunlap, Mallory Lyon, Kylie Martin and Sarah McAvan.

The committee chose to hold a “Walk for Nohema” in Chautauqua Park because that was the park she walked through every day after school. McAvan said the committee members also felt it was important to have a scholarship in Graber’s name because of how much she loved teaching kids.

The T-shirt available for purchase reads “First Annual Walk for Nohema” on the front, with the words “Amor y Paz” on the back, which translates to “Love and Peace.” Dunlap said this is a tribute to one of Graber’s favorite mottos.

“She respected all of us and would use this saying to assure us that her words were spoken with peace and love,” Dunlap said.

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com