Alumni and giving · For principals, counselors and school leaders
A school memorial wall to remember the people your school has lost
When a student, teacher or staff member dies, a school wants a lasting and gentle way to remember them. Give each person a page with their photo, a few words about who they were and memories from the people who loved them.
No account needed to start. Free to use. No payment details required.
What is a school memorial wall?
A school memorial wall is a quiet, lasting place, often in a calm hallway or library, where a school remembers students, teachers and staff who have passed away, usually with a photo, a few words about who they were and memories from people who loved them. With HistoryShowcase, your team writes each page with the family in a private draft and publishes only when the family is ready.
Updated
- Made for
- Principals, counselors and school leaders
- Where schools put it
- A quiet hallway or alcove, The library or counseling area, Family who live far away
- Layouts
- Portrait gallery, Profiles
- Visitors can filter by
- Year
- Cost
- Free to use. No payment details required.
Grief needs a place. A memorial should be gentle.
When a school loses a student or a teacher, the first memorial is often a hallway of cards and flowers that has to come down after a few weeks. Families and friends want something that lasts, but a plaque can hold only a name and two dates, and nobody wants the memory of someone they loved to feel like an entry on a list.
A school memorial wall on a touchscreen can hold the person, not just the name. Each profile can carry a photo, a short biography written with the family, the clubs and teams they loved and the memories classmates shared. Your team decides what is shown and reviews every word privately before it is published, so nothing appears before the family is ready.
How does a digital school memorial wall compare with a memorial plaque?
| What matters | Memorial plaque | HistoryShowcase |
|---|---|---|
| What it holds | A name and two dates | A photo, a short biography and shared memories |
| Who shapes the words | Chosen once, then engraved | Written with the family, gently revised over the years |
| Adding memories later | Fixed once it is made | Add photos and memories as the years go on |
| Presence | Permanent, physical and quiet | Its own calm collection with gentle motion |
| Family far away | Seen only by visiting in person | Relatives can open the published web address |
What a memorial wall can hold
A photo and a few words
A portrait the family chose and a short biography that sounds like the person, written with the family or by them.
The things they loved
The team, the stage, the art room or the classroom they made their own, in their subtitle and story.
Memories from classmates and colleagues
A few messages gathered with care and reviewed by your team, added to the person’s story.
Photos from school life
Pictures from games, concerts, field trips and ordinary days, gathered from yearbooks and friends.
Teachers and staff
Longtime teachers, custodians, bus drivers and cafeteria staff, remembered alongside the students they cared for.
Memorial scholarships and gifts
Scholarships, benches and gardens given in a person’s name, with the story of the person they honor.
How to set up a memorial wall with care
Keep it simple and quiet. A portrait gallery gives each person room, and calm colors and gentle motion in the design editor suit the purpose.
Your siteIn Loving Memory
- StudentsPortrait gallery
One portrait each, opening to their story and photos.
- Teachers and staffPortrait gallery
Each with their years at the school and the roles they held.
- Memorial gifts and scholarshipsProfiles
Gifts given in someone’s name, with the person they honor in the subtitle.
Visitors can narrow it by
- Year
How do you set up a school memorial wall with care?
Talk with the family first
Before anything is written, ask the family whether they want a memorial page, which photo to use and what they would like said.
Write and review privately
Prepare the profile in a private draft with the family’s words and photos, and preview it on the touchscreen exactly as visitors will see it.
Publish when they are ready
Publish only when the family and your team agree. You can come back to add memories and photos as the years go on.
Where should a memorial wall be placed?
- A quiet hallway or alcoveSomewhere students can stop for a moment without a crowd passing behind them.
- The library or counseling areaA calm space where students can sit with a memory.
- Family who live far awayShare the published site’s web address so relatives far from the school can visit too.
School memorial wall questions
How soon after a loss should we add someone?
There is no right timing. Take your cue from the family and give them time to decide what they want. Drafts stay private, so you can prepare gently and publish when everyone is ready.
Who decides what is written?
Your team does, together with the family. Editors can prepare the profile, and nothing appears on the touchscreen until someone with publishing access publishes it. You can edit or archive a page at any time.
Can classmates share memories?
Yes, gathered by your team and added to the person’s story. Every word is reviewed in a private draft first, so the page stays kind and true to who they were.
Should a memorial sit with our other displays?
That is up to you. You can give it its own quiet collection, set apart from the trophies and record boards, with calm colors and gentle motion chosen in the design editor.
Related ideas
Remember them gently, for years to come
Free to use. No payment details required.
