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Former Fredonia Student Remembered By Best Friend At Graduation

FREDONIA -- Walking across the stage to receive a diploma means something different for every graduate, but one student's footsteps carried a weight that no one else could have imagined when the year began.

On Sunday afternoon at King Concert Hall at SUNY Fredonia, 118 students took that walk across the stage, but 119 students' names were read aloud.

One student, Olivia Wood, walked across the stage twice. Her first steps were in place of her best friend, Lauren Arch, who passed away in early April.

"She was a really good friend, and she was my best friend," Olivia said of her friend since kindergarten. "We are still best friends. We have been for 13 years. People our age, it's hard to stay friends that long because people change, and we changed … but nobody would come between us."

After introducing all of the members on stage for Fredonia's Class of 2023 commencement, High School Principal Darrin Paschke said, "I'd like to make this final -- and special -- introduction of an extraordinary individual who graced our halls with her presence, but lost her short battle with COVID."

Paschke continued, "Today, we celebrate and honor the extraordinary life of Lauren Arch. Though her chair remains empty to honor her today, our hearts are full with the memories of the joy that she gave us, willingly and selflessly, every day that she was with us."

Lauren was a senior at Fredonia High School with a passion for art and animals. She loved to play ultimate frisbee and always flipped an hourglass upside down to watch the sand fall.

"She was very shy, but once you got to know her, you would never forget her," Olivia said.

Among her many unique qualities, Lauren was most known around school as a talented artist.

"Lauren was known for her artwork, always," Olivia said. "She would draw anywhere and everywhere. Sitting in class, she would take my arm, and next thing I know, I'd have drawings all up my arm. You just have to appreciate the artwork. Drawing on someone's arm in marker is a skill in itself."

Lauren was on track to graduate this year with the Class of 2023, but less than three months before she could walk across the stage to accept her diploma, Lauren died on April 8 at Oishei Children's Hospital in Buffalo. She was 18 years old.

When Olivia Wood heard the news of the death of her best friend, agony is the only word fitting for the impact it left.

"When my mom told me she was gone, I dropped to my knees and screamed, because it felt like somebody stabbed me," Wood said. "I think that actually would have hurt a lot less."

Over the next couple weeks, Olivia felt numb. She struggled with the loss of her friend throughout each day, with only short moments of relief when she would first wake up or right before she fell asleep. Olivia still sends Lauren text messages to feel like she is still maintaining a dialogue with the friend she shared everything with since kindergarten.

As Olivia's time at Fredonia High School neared its end, thinking about graduation helped motivate her to push through the pain she felt. Olivia wanted so badly to graduate with her best friend. She thought back to all the hard work they put in together to be on track to walk across the stage on Sunday.

"I asked if Lauren was still going to graduate," Olivia said. "We worked so hard together to get to where we were, and we were so close to it. That broke my heart."

After discussing what would be the most appropriate way to honor Lauren's memory and celebrate the accomplishment she rightfully earned, Olivia, Lauren's family, and Principal Paschke decided on having Lauren's diploma presented to Olivia. "I said I would happily accept her diploma," Olivia said.

Fredonia honored Lauren in multiple ways on Sunday -- from an empty seat in her honor, to Paschke's speech at the beginning of the ceremony, to a moment of silence held at the request of Valedictorian Alexander Weiss during his address.

"As a cherished member of our high school community, Lauren Arch exuded kindness, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to excellence," Paschke said. "Her passion for learning, coupled with her boundless creativity inspired her peers and our staff alike."

Regarding Paschke's speech, Olivia said, "That was really hard. … As soon as Mr. Paschke started talking about Lauren, the tears started to fall."

But then, after more than an hour of anxiously waiting, finally came the moment every student was waiting for. One by one, students lined up alphabetically to march across the stage and receive their diploma.

The third student in line would have been Lauren Arch. It should have been -- but tragedy robbed her of that opportunity. Instead, Lauren's best friend stepped in her shoes -- literally -- to make sure a part of her did get to take the walk across the stage.

Olivia received the diploma in Lauren's honor while wearing a pair of Lauren's new red sneakers as she stepped across the stage.

"That way she was kind of with me," Olivia said. She also wore Lauren's rings and necklace, which Olivia takes everywhere with her.

After being third in line to honor her friend Lauren, Olivia took her own spot back in line, third from the end. She received her own diploma after more than 100 of her classmates took their trip across the stage in between hers.

Although Sunday was an emotional day to remember Lauren, what was supposed to be her final day as a Fredonia student instead became just part of an ongoing legacy she will leave with her classmates and the district for years to come.

"Though her time with us was tragically cut short, her legacy will continue to shine brightly, reminding us to embrace each day with unwavering enthusiasm, and cherish our precious moments together," Paschke said. "Her presence will forever be a part of our school, through her contributions to our new book mural in the high school hallway, and the new section of our high school library called Arch's Heart, where her work will be proudly shown, and the art student of the month will be recognized, for all years to come."

The dedicated spot in the library holds special meaning to Lauren and Olivia, as it is where the two would often spend their study hall hours together. In honoring an art student, it pays tribute to Lauren's goal of someday becoming an art teacher, instead serving as a new way to inspire young artists to pursue their passion.

Lauren's artwork on display provides Olivia with a reminder that her best friend is always close by.

"Seeing her artwork around is really nice because it feels like she's still here," Olivia said. "I'd take the long way to class just to see it."

Sunday was a memorable day for any one of the students who took that walk across the stage. But for Olivia Wood, that day will always mean something truly special – it was the day she graduated with her best friend.