Preschoolers remember classmate with tree planting, balloon release

SIKESTON, Mo. -- As Shelly Williams and her preschool class gathered on the lawn on the north side of Southeast Missouri State University's Child Development Center in Sikeston on Tuesday morning, the teacher asked the group of 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds why they were there.

"For Levi!" the children shouted, referring to their classmate, Levi Stephen Collom, who died March 18 at the age of 3.

"And what was Levi's favorite color?" Williams asked the children.

"Orange!" they replied.

Then students took turns shoveling dirt to fill the hole where they had just planted a Yoshino cherry tree in Levi's memory. Williams said the tree will bloom white flowers in the spring and orange foliage in the fall.

The children also released balloons with pictures of Spider-Man on them because Levi loved superheroes, especially Spider-Man and Batman.

"It was really hard trying to explain to little ones why Levi wasn't with us anymore," Williams said. "They were thinking he's going to get super powers and come back."

Williams said she and staff at the center, including her assistant teacher, Kelsie Martin, wanted to do something to remember Levi.

"We wanted a place where we could go to remember all the good things about Levi and to show how much we miss him," Williams said.

A memorial stone donated by Heartland Memorial will also be added next to the tree. It will read: "In loving memory of Levi Stephen Collom, Precious UCDC Angel."

Levi's parents, Ellen "Ellie" and Glenn Collom, along with Levi's older sister, Victoria, were present for the event and also helped plant the tree.

"Levi spent much of his life here," Ellie Collom said about the center. "The outdoor classroom was one of his favorite places to go."

Glenn Collom agreed.

"He loved it here," Collom said about his son, looking around the outdoor classroom. "He liked the outside area."

Levi's love for the outdoors also inspired his family to develop an outdoor exhibit, "Levi's Adventure Trail," in his honor at The Discovery Playhouse in Cape Girardeau.

Ellie Collom said one of the comments she and her husband heard from Levi's teachers following his death was how, when his father would drop him off at the center, teachers would have to promise to take him to the outdoor classroom.

"It means a lot to us because when we were talking about doing Levi's exhibit and incorporating things about the river [where he loved to go], the outdoor classroom also made us want to do it," she said.

Pertinent address:

2401 N. Main St., Sikeston, Mo.