Mansfield Student Remembers Fallon Finnegan in her Senior Project

Kristen Stark presented to the Mansfield School Committee her senior project for the year. Stark said she wanted to put a memorial bench on the grounds of the Mansfield High School for her friend Fallon Finnegan.

“I had known her for 13 years; we’re close family friends,” she said.

Finnegan died in August of 2010 of cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder with no known cure. Since then, many members of the Mansfield community have banded together in her memory and helped raise awareness of the disease.

Stark said she wanted to focus on cystic fibrosis for her senior project because of her friend.

“I saw this as a really good opportunity to give back to the family and raise awareness for cystic fibrosis,” she said.

Since her decision, she has held awareness campaigns and worked with the Hearts for Hope Foundation and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, but she still wanted to do more.  For the culmination of her senior project, each student must do a final piece culminating his or her efforts.

“I came up with the idea of a bench,” she said. “Throughout the project I’ve been doing fundraisers, I’ve been working at different events for the Cystic Fibrosis foundation and the Hearts for Hope Foundation, and through that I learned how to budget my time and really go for something that I want.”

She worked for Finnegan’s aunt, Jane Davis, on the project all year.  Stark went over the bench idea with Davis, the Finnegan family and other friends of Fallon Finnegan still at MHS.

“They all thought it was a really good idea,” Stark said.

The bench would read “In loving memory of Fallon Finnegan Dec. 19 1993, Aug. 23 2010. Our deepest gratitude to the class of 2012, the Finnegan Family.”

The school committee voted 5-0 to allow the bench to be built on MHS property, bending the decision on an exact location for the bench. Stark said she would like the bench to be somewhere in the front of the school, but the exact location is still pending.

Stark said the bench is completely paid for, aside from the actual installation which will be done by volunteers.

“I saw this as a great way to give back to the family,” Stark said. “It’s my last year at Mansfield High School, it’s our class; it’s our last gift to the Finnegan family.”