By: Valeria Munoz
Copy Editor of the Paw Print
vmunoz.pawprint@gmail.com
Boca Raton’s The Dubliner restaurant and pub will be hosting the 4th Annual Cowboys and Angels event on Saturday April 23, 2016. The fundraiser was created in memory of Nicole Marrie Garrish, a former Boca High student and cheerleader. She passed away on April 21, 2012 due to an aortic aneurysm, a fatal heart condition. She was only 22 years of age at the time. Her high blood pressure had gone undetected until the day of her passing.
The Cowboys and Angels fundraiser brings friends and family together as a tribute to Garrish’s love of country music. Tickets are available for purchase at the official web page of the Nicole Marie Garrish Memorial Foundation and will also be sold at the door for $30. Each ticket includes dinner and a drink.
Garrish also inspired a new statue in the form of a Bobcat located in Boca Raton High’s stadium near the concession stand on campus. The statue was installed in early February of 2016. A special event scheduled during the lacrosse season centered on the bobcat statue.
A dedication ceremony was done to honor her and her family. Her father is the coach of a Georgia lacrosse team that traveled down to Florida to play Boca High’s Girls lacrosse team. Garrish enrolled at Boca High near the end of her junior year and was the Varsity Cheerleading Captain her senior year. As a matter of fact, Garrish maintained an “A” average throughout her courses, while also participating on Boca High’s Girls Lacrosse Team. Her brother, John Garrish, was also an outstanding student during his years as a Bobcat.
“It’s just a way to commemorate her spirit and what an amazing young lady she was,” said Dr. Mckee.
In addition to the statue, the Nicole Marie Garrish Foundation has established a butterfly garden in the Tri Delta House at Florida State University, where she attended school, as well as a brick set in front of the Westscott Fountain.
Garrish attended Florida State University from 2007 to 2011, and her fellow sorority members made the “Noles for Nicole” event to pay homage to Garrish’s love for the university and football. A scholarship program in Nicole’s memory is also offered by Boca High for any senior who applies. The scholarship is directed toward students who are either cheerleaders or football players who plan on attending FSU. Candidates are chosen by the administration based on the same attributes Garrish exhibited throughout her high school years. Past scholarship recipients include Katie Galinas, JR Sims, Kaitlyn Doering, Scott Long, and Paige Sterrenberg.
“I think the statue is a great way to commemorate her [Garrish] because it shows Bobcat spirit and how she was an important part of the school,” said senior Nicole Kalinger.