Almost all of the elementary students at a B.C. school stood in the rain and sang to Julie Loland, a beloved teacher, outside her hospital room one day before she died of cancer.
Loland, a Grade 2 teacher at Terry Fox Elementary, was serenaded last week with the school song, which ended with the group saying "We love you, Mrs. Loland!", reported CBC News.
Loland, 37, waved at the students from the window. She passed away the next morning.
Loland leaves her husband and three sons, including a baby. According to her obituary, she recently finished her master's degree in education at Simon Fraser University.
Loland was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer last year, which had metastasized to her lymph nodes while she was still pregnant, according to an SFU article.
Her graduate thesis looked at how mindfulness meditation — focusing the mind on the present and not dwelling on the past or anticipating the future — could help elementary students cope with emotional and social challenges and improve their school work.
"Her warm, friendly and outgoing personality will be greatly missed by family, friends, colleagues and students," read the obituary. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made online to the Julie Loland Foundation.
Some of Loland's students are creating art and helping with fundraisers for her family, said CBC.
