What will stand as a tribute in honor of her teaching legacy, Dexter Community Schools (DCS) has installed the plaque recognizing the naming of the solar walkway after the late Kate Boynton.
It is located under the solar walkway in the bus hub, which is near Anchor and Wylie schools. The DCS Board of Education made the decision last year to name the solar panel walkway after the long-time teacher, who taught at DCS from 1998 through the time of her passing in October 2020.
The idea for the naming and plaque came about during the planning stages of the solar panel walkway, which began in 2019 while working with the Dexter High School Green Schools Club. As part of the planning process, the school district asked students to suggest names for the solar walkway. DCS said nearly 1,000 students completed the survey and suggested a wide variety of names.
However, the district said the overwhelmingly most popular name suggestion was “The Kate Boynton Memorial Walkway.”
As for some of the reasoning behind this, DCS said “Boynton was a beloved teacher and spent many years at Wylie Elementary on the playground, which is located directly adjacent to the new solar walkway.”
“The solar walkway project was initiated during the pandemic and Mrs. Boynton became ill during that period while the entire Dexter community navigated isolation and ambiguity,” DCS said in its announcement last year about the tribute. “Team Rainbow, as Mrs. Boynton’s supporters dubbed themselves, provided a way for the community to connect to support and rally around a dedicated teacher in a time when the world was deeply impacted by the global pandemic. Team Rainbow stickers and the rainbow fence decoration are still displayed throughout the community in support of Mrs. Boynton’s battle with cancer, demonstrating her lasting influence on our community, and representing hope for all whose lives are impacted by cancer.”
When the district announced the naming, Wylie Principal Katie See said, “Mrs. Kate Boynton was a highly dedicated teacher who was committed to instilling a love of reading in all of her students. She was creative, passionate, and had a wonderful sense of humor. Her laughter made everyone smile, and she was always planning fun learning activities for her students. She said her favorite color was ‘rainbow’ because she loved all of the colors. Kate inspired her students and colleagues with this advice: ‘Seek joy and things you are grateful for.’ Wylie created a rainbow on the fence that leads to the solar walkway. It reminds us that teachers color our lives and help us to ‘seek joy’.”
Photos courtesy of Dexter Community Schools
8123 Main St Suite 200 Dexter, MI 48130
