Future generations will be reminded of the bravery and courage of Kendrick Castillo, a STEM School Highlands Ranch student who died while rushing an active shooter on campus in 2019, with a newly-announced memorial at Civic Green Park in Douglas County.

Castillo’s family and Highlands Ranch officials marked the occasion in a ceremony at the park on Monday.

“It is really great to see this being done — Kendrick saved a lot of lives including that of our son who was at school that day,” said Robert Stanley, who attended with his wife Stephanie.

The upcoming memorial in Civic Green Park, off South Ridgeline Boulevard and Dorchester Street, will be paired with the renaming of nearby Lucent Boulevard to Kendrick Castillo Way. Highlands Ranch officials, who are still fundraising for the projects, were hesitant to put an official timetable on the memorial unveiling and road’s name change, but promised to act “expediently,” Douglas County Commissioner Abe Laydon, said.

While Castillo died in 2019, his loss still weighed heavy on the hearts of many at the ceremony.

“[Kendrick’s actions that day] weren’t surprising. I feel like he would’ve done it anyway, no matter who it was, even it wasn’t his friends. If it was any situation, he always thought of others first,” Charles Burroughs Jr., a longtime friend of Castillo, said.