Restoring weathered monuments and headstones became a Southeast Valley May Term project in 2024, one Dyer has now led twice with colleague Janet Wills.

“The kids all mentioned how satisfying it was to see the stones before and after we had cleaned them,” said Dyer.

With permission from the city councils and township trustees that oversee them, the students worked through West Lawn Cemetery in Lehigh, Otho Township Cemetery, Callender Cemetery, Lost Grove Township Cemetery, and Gowrie Township Cemetery, lifting decades of moss, lichen and dirt off the most neglected stones with soft brushes and D2 Biological Solution, the same cleaner used at the nation’s military cemeteries.

According to Dyer, the solution keeps working long after the brushes are put away, so the stones will look even sharper by July, in time for the country’s 250th anniversary.

-Submitted photo
Henry and Emeretta Hall are buried in Gowrie Township Cemetery, one of the cemeteries that Southeast Valley High School students worked on.

“You have to be careful what product you use to clean the stones as some can actually damage the stone,” said Dyer. “We use soft bristled brushes and in some instances plastic putty knives. You cannot use metal bristled brushes or metal putty knives or you will damage the stone. After a good scrub we then rinse the stone with water. This process can be repeated a couple of times as needed.”

The student group, composed of Finley Armstrong, Hadley Cox, Carter Lloyd, Mason Newell, Ashtyn Owens, Natalee Sisneros and Lillian Stewart, cleaned the stones ahead of Memorial Day, and also placed flags and white crosses at veterans’ graves.

“As a teacher, as someone who grew up in this community and has relatives buried locally and someone who deeply appreciates the past, this project is one I hope to continue into the future,” said Dyer. “I am proud of the work we did.”

-Submitted photo
Southeast Valley High School students helped to restore monuments and headstones in West Lawn Cemetery, Otho Township Cemetery, Callender Cemetery, Lost Grove Township Cemetery, and the Gowrie Township Cemetery as part of the school’s annual May Term activities. This stone reads “Infant Children of Geo. S. and Ida M. Evanson.”