"The firefly saw a light and flew toward it," read several students from the book "The Very Lonely Firefly" at Artman Elementary in Hermitage. For them and countless other kids at Artman, Linda Hickman was their light.

"She had such a passion for teaching young children to learn to read and to love reading," said instructional coach Beth Stefano.

A love of reading Hickman spent nearly 20 years sharing at Artman.
She died in June of last year, but in her absence now sits a courtyard, dedicated in her memory on Wednesday.

"It's so colorful and vibrant just like she was," says Linda's son Jeff. "I was so excited that they would go through all the trouble to do something like this. It really meant a lot to the whole family."

"When she passed away, her family and friends and colleagues wanted to honor her in a way that reflected her bright personality," added Stefano.

Hickman's family along with her friends and co-workers raised the money for the courtyard.
Artman students applied their talents to the walls - adorned with so many of the things their favorite teacher stood for.

"It's a place where students can come with their teachers and work collaboratively, to do literature circles and to just love reading," said Stefano.

A love perhaps only surpassed by the one Linda Hickman held for her students and her family.

"I knew how much this school meant to her and how much she meant to the school," said son Jeff.