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Washington Evening Journal
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New outdoor space honors Samantha Maas
Memorial funds create outdoor classroom in memory of Iowa Valley student
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
MARENGO — Since 2022 when Samantha Maas lost her life at the age of 13 her friends and family have found many ways to honor her memory.
The annual Sam’s 5K Fun Run is coming up Saturday, Oct. 18. Registration begins at 7 a.m. at Iowa Valley High School in Marengo, and proceeds are used to pay for scholarships in Sam’s name.
This month a more permanent reminder of Sam opened on the high school’s front lawn — the Samantha Maas Outdoor Classroom.
About a year ago, Sam’s mother, Diana, told Iowa Valley art teacher Laura Klosterboer that she had about $3,000 left in memorial money and wanted to do something with it in Sam’s name, said Klosterboer.
She wanted Sam’s name somewhere in the school, said Klosterboer, and a plaque has been placed upstairs by the art room to honor that request.
But the gazebo in front of the school is more visible and available to everyone, said Klosterboer. “I just wanted to do something that was recognizable, not just hidden away in the art room.”
Klosterboer said she likes taking her classes outside, but they didn’t really have a place to go. That made her think of creating an outdoor classroom area with Sam’s name on it.
The process was lengthy, said Klosterboer. She had to find out what $3,000 would buy and go through the process of getting bids.
The concrete base was poured over the summer.
Lowe’s gave Klosterboer a nearly 50% discount on the gazebo which allowed Klosterboer to get a larger one. Lowe’s also knocked 50% off the price of the picnic tables, she said.
Larry Fiser Construction and Tony Snook poured the concrete, providing the labor at no cost, Klosterboer said.
The Orange Pride Boosters covered expenses beyond what the memorial funds paid for.
The outdoor area opened Oct. 1.
“Lot’s of people have just said it’s really great,” said Klosterboer. Now that the weather has turned cooler, people will probably use it more, she said.
Klosterboer taught Sam in art class starting in fourth grade. “She was really great to have around,” said Klosterboer.
“Diane is so appreciative of doing things to keep Sam’s memory,” Klosterboer said. This is the fourth year for Sam’s 5K fun run. Her classmates are juniors now.
“The scope of what has been done took a lot of people,” said Klosterboer. “Really good people have continued to support her and her memory.”
Even people who didn’t know Sam understand the sense of community, Klosterboer said.
“It was a team project,” said Iowa Valley Superintendent Curt Rheingans. “It was kind of neat watching the kids put it together.”
Rheingans said he’s seen staff members use the gazebo during breaks, though it may not get much use during the winter.
“It’s nice and big and the location is perfect,” Rheingans said.
The Iowa Valley Facebook page thanked Diane Maas for providing memorial funds; Amanda Sernulka-George at Lowe's Home Improvement in Coralville for the discount on picnic tables and the gazebo; Larry Fiser Construction and Tony Snook for the concrete work; Steve and Jacob Krakow at Outdoor Creations for post removal and landscaping; Joe Shoemaker and his fifth-hour students, Caleb Achey, Owen Ary, Chance Hoyt, Xavier Mulder, Caden Smith and Kennedy Thiessen, for constructing the gazebo and picnic tables; Orange Pride Boosters for helping cover additional expenses; the Class of 2027 for contributing funds from their seventh grade Youth Market Place project (through Mindy Driscoll and Daniel Sovers); and Marcia Koenig Kilgard and Marna Montgomery for the pumpkins that are decorating the outdoor space during October.
