A bench was donated to R.F. Staples Secondary School in honour of Ciera Falkenberg LaChapelle, a former teacher’s aide at the school who was killed in a car accident in April.
Ciera passed away at the age of 29 following an accident on Highway 2 on April 7 at Range Road 251 between Clyde and Nestow.
“Everybody loved her. We had a celebration of life and there had to be 800 people that showed up,” said Dave Falkenberg, Ciera’s father. “She absolutely loved goats, she had rabbits, she had chickens, she had llamas, dogs, she loved all animals. She loved them and she really took care of them. She was our only child so it was a real heartbreaker.”
Dave has a portrait of his daughter tattooed on his left arm in her memory.
Ciera was set to take over the Falkenberg family farm with her husband Justin and plethora of animals including 90 goats, 20 rabbits, four dogs and two cats.
Ciera worked at R.F. Staples for around six years primarily in the life skills program which supports students with developmental disabilities.
“She had a remarkable way of connecting with some of our most vulnerable students and had built awesome relationships with pretty much all students she worked with,” said Derek Dachyshyn, associate principal at R.F. Staples.
“Mainly we like to see that they're supported in regular classrooms alongside their peers, with support from adults,” said Dachyshyn on the life skills program.
The bench features a plaque which reads “Sitting with Ciera. In loving memory of Ciera Falkenberg LaChapelle. A beloved member of our school and community.”
The bench was donated by Westcon Precast Inc., a concrete contractor in St. Albert which Ciera’s father Dave used to work for.
The bench sits outside the front entrance to the school where Ciera used to walk through with her students.
R.F. Staples has set up a fund since her passing which helps support the life skills program she was a part of with funding for field trips and community partnerships.
Donations to the fund can be e-transferred to [email protected] or cheques can be dropped off at the R.F. Staples office. E-transfers must be marked with “In memory of Ciera.”
