When freshman Amx Marshall was younger, he would stare at a mural his great-grandmother had on her staircase. This mural became more memorable to him when he learned she had painted it herself. Now, after his grandmother’s passing, he has a keychain of an artist’s color palette to help keep her in his heart.

He received his keychain through the Metal Mulisha Club at Baldwin, a group whose mission is to provide a metalwork keepsake for students and staff struggling with grief and other emotions after losing a loved one. Students can request a personalized keepsake by filling out a form linked to a QR code that is posted around the school.

Marshall’s keepsake has helped him feel close to his late great-grandmother.

“It gives me a way to remember her other than just her memories. It’s nice to have a piece of her around,” he said.

It was a special moment for Marshall when he received it.

“I was really happy and had it in my pocket for a week straight,” Marshall said. He now keeps the keychain next to a photo of his great-grandmother.

The club serves several important purposes, Marshall said.

“It gives the people in the club a way to show their art and appreciation for others. It also gives

the person receiving it a way to remember their person and a nice little art piece to have,” Marshall said.

The club was started by art teacher Toni Rogiero and originated from her personal experiences with grief.

Her late father was a jeweler. He left her some jewelry that she now keeps close to her to help remember him. She wants to spread that same comfort to students and staff members dealing with grief.

“For me, having some pieces of jewelry passed down from my father reminds me more of him each time,” Rogiero said. “It’s unrecognizable by most people as being something very personal, but it always keeps them near.”

She thought the club would give students and staff support through tough times.

“Ultimately, the club is about promoting and feeling empathy for the mental health awareness for grieving, whether it’s staff or students,” Rogiero said.

As club members provide support for those going through hard times, she hopes that they gain empathy skills in return.

“If my students are supporting empathy, being able to recognize it, and create that in themselves, that is ultimately my goal,” she said.

Culinary arts teacher Beth Fochtman and her husband, math teacher Rich Fochtman, have received a keepsake through the club in memory of their late son, Logan. Senior Chris Dodge volunteered to create the necklace for the Fochtmans, which took him about two weeks to make.

“He made a necklace that is a beautiful train engine, and there is a snowflake on each side. Trains and snowflakes in the Fochtman household represent and remind us of Logan,” she said.

Fochtman said she got emotional when she received the piece.

“The keepsake made me cry,” she said. “It was a wonderful surprise that someone spent so much time and put so much thought into a gift that means so much to our family. Plus, it is gorgeous. I was blown away by not only the thoughtfulness, but also the expert level of skill of the piece.”

The Metal Mulisha serves an important purpose in the school, Fochtman said.

“I think the club is amazing. Unfortunately, loss is something we all will experience in our lives,” she said. “When someone you love dies, it is nice to have something that represents them.”

Co-Presidents Megan Murphy and Dylaney Quinten said they got involved with the club because they want to bring attention to grief in schools.

“I wanted to be a part of something and help out others,” Murphy said. “So, by joining the group, I can do both at the same time.”

Quinten feels it is important to give healthy attention to grieving a loss.

“I feel like loss, especially death, is something that isn’t really talked about, especially in young kids, and how it can affect them,” Quinten said.

Dodge said the personalized element of these gifts is the most important part of the club and what makes it special.

“I feel like buying a gift doesn’t give the recipient something they could really cherish, because other people are going to have the same thing,” he said.

While helping people who are struggling with grief, Dodge has also learned more about it himself.

“I have learned that grief can stay with someone for a very long time and is not something that is easily forgotten,” he said.

Junior Mara Recknagel said the club offers unique support to grieving students and staff members.

“Metal Mulisha helps remember the person you lost with something simple and handmade,” she said. “You don’t have to talk about your grief to be supported.”

The club meets about once a month, and members also work on projects during study halls, after school, or Highlander Time. They have about a dozen members now and hope to have more next year; no experience in metalwork is necessary.

The club’s name has sentimental value for Rogiero.

“One of my son’s favorite monster trucks when he was younger was called the Metal Mulisha, so that makes it feel more special to me,” Rogiero said.

The club’s name was also made with the purpose of creating unity within the group and sparking interest in students.

“We were trying to find a name that would represent us being banded together as a group to support those who are grieving,” she said. “We wanted it to sound like a really cool club that people wanted to join.”

Dodge feels proud of the club and the impact it has on students and staff.

“I feel like this group is doing amazing work, especially for those who have lost somebody very close to them,” he said. “All I hope for is that we can help them get through it, because it is not an easy thing to process.”

This story was originally published on Purbalite on May 14, 2026.