Ali Pahore was a student at South Windsor High School that attended his freshman year here, and was a part of the class of 2020. Unfortunately, Pahore was diagnosed with leukemia in June of 2017 and passed away on December 28th, 2017. Many students were heartbroken after he left us.

Almost a year after he passed, on Thursday, November 7th, 2018, a brick dedication ceremony was held at the school’s Memorial Garden. It consisted of a song and a speech from student, Anthara Shivkumar, and speeches by student, Sabrina Khybery and guidance counselor, Dr. LaRochelle.

The memorial started off with Shivkumar talking about how she was close friends with Pahore, and how his passing affected her. She wrote a song about him stating,”I wish that you were still here with me.” Shivkumar sang the original song for him at the memorial. As the song continued it brought tears to peoples’ eyes, at the end of the song, Shivkumar sang,“Just know you’re always with me, staying in my heart so you’re not gone.”

Following Shivkumar’s song, Khybery, one of Pahore’s closest friends, told a few stories about him. She talked about how they met, and how she struggled after his passing. Khybery mentioned she still misses Pahore significantly. She said, “I called him my brother…He meant the world to me.” She claimed he never said anything mean to anyone and, “Ali was the kindest person I know to this day.”

Lastly, the memorial ended with LaRochelle saying, “Ali will always be part of the life at South Windsor High School. A place he touched with his strength of character, his remarkable courage, and a gift of his very self.” LaRochelle also revealed the brick with Pahore’s name, and people walked around the garden to see it.

A good amount of students and teachers attended the memorial to pay their respects to Ali, including one of his best friends, junior, William Smith. When asked what he thought of the memorial, he said, “I thought it was nice. It was a pretty day and I thought they handled it well.”