At Harper Moyski’s memorial bench, her sister and best friends find healing together
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Use the audio player above to hear a conversation between MPR News host Nina Moini and Quinn, Orla, Savannah and Astoria.
At Harper Moyski’s memorial bench, facing the colorful Lyndale Park Rose Garden, there are flowers planted on either side, a wind chime hanging from the tree above, and you may find salt sprinkled on the bench.
“Harper loves salt. Like she always put it like on everything,” said Orla McGarvey, one of Harper’s best friends. “We just like to sprinkle salt on her bench now, and it reminds us of her.”
Harper died nearly one year ago in the Annunciation Catholic Church and School mass shooting on Aug. 27, 2025. She was 10 years old. Another student, Fletcher Merkel, 8, was also killed. Twenty-nine others were injured, including one child whom law enforcement learned about later and whose gun injury was publicly disclosed Tuesday.
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Out of the tragedy, the already tight-knit Annunciation community has gotten even closer. A new friendship has blossomed between Harper’s little sister Quinn, who is 9, and Harper’s best friends: Orla, who is 11 years old, Astoria Safe, 11, and Savannah Tamppari, 12.
“She's got a sisterhood around her, even though she lost her sister,” said Jackie Flavin, Harper’s mom.
Keeping Harper’s memory alive
Harper’s memorial bench is a common gathering space for the girls. It was dedicated in October by friends of the Moyskis. Anyone is welcome to visit the bench.
Sometimes the girls come to the bench to play with a volleyball — Harper, Orla, Astoria and Savannah all played on the school’s team together. On a Friday afternoon earlier this month they played a game of keepie-uppie. With each bump of the ball, Quinn and Harper’s best friends spelled out H-A-R-P-E-R, and erupted in a cheer when they made it all the way through without dropping the ball. It’s become one of their favorite games to play.
They also come to reflect and heal.
One day Astoria came to the bench and brought a card Harper had written for her birthday and sat to read it again.
On what would’ve been Harper’s 11th birthday, her parents got all the girls gift bags. Inside were squishy turtle toys, Harper’s favorite animal. They left one of the turtles on the bench and decorated it in celebration, salt included. And around Christmas the Moyski family decorated the bench with two nutcrackers, a wreath and flowers.
Whether the girls are at the bench together or alone, they always find or leave signs of Harper.
And at home, each one of Harper’s best friends has a keepsake that was passed down to them.
Orla takes care of Harper’s pet turtle Bubbles and has her potato-shaped stuffed animal affectionately called Tayto Potato. Astoria has Harper’s pink volleyball. Savannah has two of Harper’s Smiski toys, collectible figurines that they collected together.
The top of Quinn’s dresser has become a memorial for Harper, with family photos, friendship bracelets, lots of turtle toys and a crystal with Harper’s ashes.
The girls also turn to each other to keep Harper’s memory alive.
Harper’s best friends see her in Quinn’s curly hair and warm personality.
“She reminds me so much of Harper, and it almost feels like I still like have a piece of Harper with me,” said Astoria.
Quinn values the friendship too.
“I think it’s so sweet, and it helps keep a part of Harper alive.”
Getting ‘candy drunk’ and running from trouble
Harper’s best friends not only have physical reminders of her, but they also have stories and memories of their friendships that they look back on with laughs and smiles.
One of Orla’s favorite memories is being at Target with Harper when they were playing with an iPad in the electronics section, and “Harper turned the iPad to the side to play a game, and then the sirens went off, and then we started running,” Orla giggled.
Astoria remembers Halloween 2024, when she, Harper and another friend went trick-or-treating dressed as Barbies. When they got home and started eating their candy stash, they called it getting “candyunk,” a combination of the words candy and drunk.
“We were just like on the couch, like falling off the couch and like jumping around and it was really fun, and we were like chugging Sprites and root beer.”
Savannah recalls a peaceful memory, when she was camping with Harper and they decided to lay down in the grass together. She remembers Harper as one of her most protective friends, saying “She made sure everyone knew they were loved.”
A bittersweet back to school
Throughout the past school year, the girls have each found ways to remember Harper and to cope with the loss. Sometimes, it was as simple as a group hug when someone was feeling down.
Astoria would carry a photo of Harper around school and show Harper her “lunch haul” unboxing her packed lunch. Harper’s desk also became a memorial, where Orla would sometimes go and leave Harper a note.
The start of the next school year is bittersweet for Harper’s best friends.
“Even though it can be hard, without Harper joining middle school with us, I still want to always remember her and have the school honor Harper and Fletcher throughout,” said Orla.
Astoria will miss calling her best friend the night before and the morning of the first day like they used to, talking about what shower products they were going to use and other plans for the new school year.
Back at Harper’s bench on that recent August afternoon, the girls finished playing several rounds of rallies with the volleyball. They watered the plants by the bench. Quinn left a tiny animal figurine, and they all huddled in a circle, planning their next play date.
