People pass by the memorial Sunday that was made for Harmony and Hope West at Elm Street School in Mechanic Falls. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal MECHANIC FALLS – Hundreds gathered at Elm Street School Sunday evening to mourn the deaths of two sisters, 11-year-old Harmony West and 6-year-old Hope West, found murdered a week ago in an apartment alongside the body of their mother. “They’ll live forever in our hearts,” said Cindy Cormier, who taught Hope for two years.
“They’re more than a news story to us,” said Principal Jessica Madsen. “They were super loved.” She said she’s always going to think of “happy times and beautiful faces” when she thinks of the pair.
Elm Street School principal, Jessica Madsen, left, and teacher Georgia Harlow attend Sunday’s vigil at the school in Mechanic Falls. Harlow was Harmony West’s teacher during West’s third and fourth grade school years. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Lukas Lee, a rising sixth grader, said he would walk both girls home almost every day.
His friend Harmony, he said, was “always smiling, always happy.” The crowd gathered in front of the school, holding candles and holding hands, and looked at photographs of the girls as they remembered them, so full of life and promise. More than a few had tears in their eyes.
Their principal and teachers said the girls were a bright spot every day, arriving early and embracing every opportunity presented to them. Amy Jenkins, the assistant principal, said Hope and Har.