Sing, laugh and play.

Those words and actions resonated with the nearly 100 people who came together Friday afternoon at Dicken Elementary School to celebrate the memory of Mariel Almendras, who died last Thanksgiving at the age of 8 following her courageous fight against a rare form of ovarian cancer.

Those words were also part of an inscription on a bench dedicated in her honor that read: “Sing, laugh and play in loving memory of our Mariel Almendras.”

The green bench features Mariel’s two favorite things— a butterfly and a ladybug.

Mariel’s classmates in the Dicken Recess Singers sang some of her favorite songs, including “I’m a Little Trout,” and the Slauson Middle School Orchestra performed “Walking on Sunshine.”

Tears flowed in the audience as the family unveiled the bench and Dicken Principal Michael Madison asked for a moment of silence.

Mariel’s mother, Emmeline, or Gemma for short, delivered a heartfelt speech to the audience of her daughter's friends, former teachers and those touched by Mariel, who was known for her positive attitude and radiant smile.

“I believe this bench was put here for two beautiful reasons: one for remembrance and the other for a reminder,” she said."This bench will make us remember that there was once a little girl that walked into our lives and left footprints on our hearts and made the sky more beautiful to gaze upon.”

Gemma said it’s important for everyone to take a moment to reflect and enjoy life and all it has to offer.

“No matter how busy we are, we have to take a moment to sing and make that music matter to others,” Gemma said. “We have to take a moment to laugh and make that laughter matter to others and take a moment to play and make that friendship matter. . . . We should take a moment to pause and appreciate everyone and everything.”

Mariel's father, Sean, said he was at a "loss for words" because of the support his family has received.

Ciceley Lawson, a parent of a second and fourth grader at Dicken, said she was deeply moved by the ceremony.

“It was absolutely amazing how much Mariel touched everyone, including those who do not know her,” Lawson said. “She was able to bring people together in such a manner.”

Madison said the idea for the memorial came to fruition after a small group of people formed and worked with the family to create something to ensure Mariel’s memory lived on.

“We realized we needed to create something long-lasting,” Madison said.

The Almendras family picked out a bench they liked, but the school could not afford it, Madison said.

“We solicited money,” he said. “Parents gave money, teachers gave money and the community gave money. It all came together.”

Madison said although people knew Mariel was sick, they weren't prepared for her death.

“We loved her, we cared for her and we cried for her,'' he said. "You never want to lose a child or see someone else lose their child. We learned how to deal with cancer and how it isn’t fair for some children to lose their lives to it. How do we teach kids about that? I don’t know the answer.”

Now, Madison said, the school has a permanent fixture that will allow Mariel to live on with her many friends where she enjoyed being most — the playground.

“We’ll never forget her and now this is a symbol for the rest of the time we’re here. They’ll come here and say, 'There’s Mariel on the playground,'" he said.

Gemma said her family’s faith in God and the love of others has helped carry them through.

“This is an honor for our family,” she said. “It’s a blessing and it means so much more than I can describe. It eases and helps us deal with this unfathomable pain. Their prayers have carried us through these six months. There’s a purpose why we’re here and I don’t know what it is but we’ll be here to see it through. We will do that for Mariel.”

Cathy Cieglo was Mariel’s second-grade teacher at Dicken and she said Mariel was wise beyond her years and a special child.

“I was blessed to know her,” Cieglo said with tears in her eyes. “She lived this full life in a short amount of time. . . . She will stay with me forever.”

Gemma said she will carry one memory of her daughter for the rest of her life.

“Through the pain I saw in her eyes and the difficult questions she had for me when she was sick, she still managed to smile, not minding whatever she was feeling,” Gemma said. “I can still picture it in my head. The faith she had as a child is more than the faith I have seen in a lot of adults. That lesson will reverberate in everyone’s heart for the rest of time.”