LaGRANGE — Faculty, family, and friends gathered in front of Callaway Middle School on Thursday to celebrate the life of the school’s late assistant principal Deborah Dunn with a tree planting ceremony.

The crowd remembered Dunn as Kelsey Armstrong, the school’s choral teacher, sang “Changed for Good” from the Broadway show “Wicked.”

“She wanted and worked very hard not to carry on a dream, but for a dream to possess her, and for her to share that dream with other people so that they could become more than what they had ever imagined,” said Bill Bryant, the assistant principal at Callaway Middle School. “There are people in this county who are teachers, who are law enforcement, who are in almost every aspect of work and labor, and they are there because of the influence that she has had on their life.”

The tree chosen to memorialize Dunn at the school was a chaste tree, which was chosen because the beautiful fragrant flowers the tree produces made the faculty think of Dunn, who passed away on July 4.

“Mrs. Dunn had a huge positive influence across this entire school,” said Melissa Trimeloni, principal of Callaway Middle School. “Not only the staff members, but the students that she interacted with everyday. She clearly had a passion for what she did and a sense of joy about her.”

Before becoming an assistant principal at Callaway Middle School, Dunn taught at Callaway High School as a biology and anatomy teacher, and sponsored academic clubs.

“My wife was passionate about kids,” said Kevin Dunn. “She was passionate about kids reaching their potential, and the kids truly came first in her mind. She truly wanted everybody to succeed. She wanted to put them in a position to succeed. … It was about the kids succeeding and putting them in the best place to succeed and have what they want and need out of life.”

Kevin Dunn plans to make a scholarship in honor of his wife. The scholarship will be awarded to a Callaway High School senior who plans to study science in college and displays strong character.