To the students that knew him as a friend in addition to their principal, the sudden death of Stephen Chrabaszcz on Sept. 20, 2016 was the kind of shock that doesn’t subside quickly.

“It was like getting sucker punched,” said Toll Gate vice president for the class of 2018 Nick Petrone, reflecting on the day he learned of the news. “It was like a punch in the gut.”

Petrone, like many others who spoke at a ceremony on Friday afternoon amidst bitterly cold conditions to dedicate a memorial garden and an engraved bench in Chrabaszcz’s honor on behalf of the senior class of 2018, couldn’t say enough about the late principal’s love of education and his love for the students and staff of Toll Gate.

“Principal Chrabaszcz was one of the most amazing people I’ve ever had the opportunity to meet,” he said. “It didn’t matter who you were or where you came from, as long as you were in his office he would hear what you had to say. He was one of the few people I’ve ever met who could put a smile on your face just by saying hello.”

It didn’t take long after his death for the school community to rally into a committee on how to properly honor his memory. These efforts were led by Shana Willis, math teacher and social arts coordinator at Toll Gate, and class president Bobby Lisi, who is also captain of the Titan’s football squad.

“We thought this would be a nice place for students to come and have outdoor dining,” Lisi said of the decision to make a rock garden. “He would want us to be happy and having fun in this area. It means a lot – he was a very important guy and we’re going to miss him.”

The space is located just up the staircase that leads down to the new Career and Tech Center café, which will have its grand opening in February. As the weather gets warmer, the memorial garden will be a space – the only true space for Toll Gate students since the tech center expanded – where seniors will be able to enjoy lunch or a coffee outside.

“It’s for the kids in addition to being in his memory,” said Willis on Monday. “Which is what he would have wanted.”

Willis thanked the large group of students, faculty and staff, including Bill McCaffrey, director of the Career and Tech Center (which owns the space the garden sits) for helping clear the land and construct the pathways and lay the stones. On Friday, over one hundred students, faculty and staff showed up to pay respects and place stones with words such as “courage, strength and passion” reflective of Chrabaczcz’s attributes in the garden.

“The support from Toll Gate and from the whole community of Toll Gate and Warwick has just been amazing,” said Barbara Chrabaszcz. “I used to joke with Steve that I had to bake for the teachers every two months so they would continue to like him. It’s really evident from all of this that that wasn’t true – that everyone really did like him – and I’m so happy that that’s the case.”

Chrabaszcz’s son and daughter, Adam and Jessica, as well as other relatives were on hand for the placing of the final dedicated rock into the garden. The stone bench and other engraved stones were all made by Josh Martin of Martin Artistic Stones.

While the occasion was somber in the mourning of an obviously-revered administrator, educator and friend, the pulling together of a community to share stories of Chrabaszcz’s personality and stories of his past – stories which will undoubtedly be told in the new garden dedicated to his memory – left a feeling of optimism and appreciation as well.

“He wanted every single child in this school to know that if they pushed themselves, they could achieve anything they wanted to. No matter how long or what path they chose, it is always possible,” said Dr. Fred Shweizer, assistant principal. “With this rock garden, a little piece of him will remain with us forever.”

“Once a Titan, always a Titan – that’s what he would always say,” said Lisi.