A movement was sparked as a result of Liv Helen Teverino’s tragic passing on September 18, 2023. She was a beloved member of the class of 2025. The past year following her loss, consisted of many memorial projects in addition to service work done by the Living Like Liv club.

Liv was known throughout the school as a shining light in the lives of those around her. While her loss was so difficult for so many, many of her classmates and friends have learned to live to their fullest, as Liv Teverino portrayed. This inspired both Phoebe Rowe (12) and Emily Shonard (12), close friends of Liv, to start the Living Like Liv club.

“We know Liv was such a kind and humble person, she just loved everyone around her, and so we wanted to do a service-based club so we could spread small bits of compassion through the Marietta community,” Shonerd said.

Inspired by Liv’s unwavering kindness, Rowe and Shonard recognized the need for a platform to promote Liv’s way of life, while actively promoting the compassion that Liv lived her life with. The club spreads kindness and love across Marietta through many Marietta students participating in service projects. These acts of service include the recent 5k run in Liv’s honor, in addition to planting a garden for Liv Teverino’s mother, Beth Teverino. The goal of the Living Like Liv club is for all of Marietta to love and live like Liv did.

“Our mission is to spread compassion through Liv’s legacy,” Shonerd said. “I wanted to start a club just to make an impact on the school. Phoebe and I wanted to do something, and we saw how impactful Liv was to everybody around us.”

Many of Liv’s friends shared how she was a bright and outgoing person. Since her death, she has changed many lives, inspiring people to try and live the same way she did. Rowe shares how she now has a relationship with God because of Liv, and Shonard found a renewed faith. Both have shared how their growing faith allows them to feel closer to Liv.

“Her death actually inspired my faith journey and was the reason that I became Christian,” Rowe continues, “I feel like I have a new relationship with her even after her passing.”

Liv was a runner at Marietta High School and was a part of the cross country team. One of the memorials for Liv was a 5k color run hosted on the one year anniversary of her passing. Marietta’s community came together to dedicate the 5k to Liv and her family. This color run was a three-mile run around Marietta High School while volunteers, including members of the Living like Liv Club, threw color powder on the runners. Many students, parents, friends, and other members of the community ran and volunteered in this race.

Before the 5k, a bench was dedicated to Liv in honor of her life. The bench was placed outside of J Hall where Marietta cross country runners pass for their routine training runs. The bench was donated by Liv’s family and features a symbol and reminder of Liv, a butterfly.

The Living Like Liv club also created a garden for Mrs. Beth Teverino, Liv’s mother. The garden is placed right outside of Liv’s mother’s office at Birney Elementary, and the garden is complete with the letters LLL representing the message to “Live Like Liv”, and added flowers in her memory. Many members of the club gathered at Birney Elementary in August to help create the garden as another dedication to Liv.

“We did a scrapbook for Mrs. Beth around her birthday, so when she’s missing her, she can open the scrapbook and have all her memories,” Shonerd said.

One major addition to the MHS schedule is the upcoming Sadie Hawkins dance this winter. According to Mr. Cole Phillips and many of Liv’s close friends, Liv had wanted to have a Sadie Hawkins dance and mentioned it to multiple of her friends. Although he never had Liv in one of his physics classes, he still wanted to be involved with the idea of a Sadie Hawkins dance.

“Sadie’s is a dance against the traditional norm because the girls ask guys to the dance,” Mr. Phillips said, “MHS has had it before, but it ended a while ago. From what the girls were telling me, Liv wanted to bring it back.”

Students can look forward to the Sadie Hawkins dance this winter. The date is set for Jan. 11, 2025.

Liv taught the community of Marietta what it truly means to love everyone. Her passing has changed Marietta, and now Marietta’s community strives to Live Like Liv.