On November 13, 2021, beloved Lower Merion High School Principal Sean Hughes was killed in a car crash. In the year since his passing, his family, friends and members of his beloved high school community – including students, staff and alumni - have been meeting to decide on a fitting way to remember Dr. Hughes.

The Sean Hughes Tribute Committee is pleased to announce that local sculptor and Harriton High School alumnus Miguel Antonio Horn has agreed to design an artistic multi-part tribute on the Lower Merion High School campus. The proposed design, which would require approval from the Lower Merion Board of School Directors, includes a unique gateway to campus reflecting both the physical image of Dr. Hughes and the tenets of his oft-stated motto that Character Counts. As ninth-grade students Enter to Learn and twelfth-grade students Go Forth to Serve, they will pass through this gateway, creating the kind of school tradition that Dr. Hughes so loved.

Later proposed aspects of the on-campus memorial will include turning a grass slope between the high school and administration buildings into both a memorial garden for quiet reflection and an outdoor amphitheater for use by classes and other student groups.

Dr. Hughes, who instituted Lunch & Learn, was always looking for creative ways for students to use spaces on campus in ways that supported their intellectual curiosity, mental health and sense of comfort and belonging at school.

In addition to the artistic memorial, the Sean Hughes Tribute Committee is collecting to donations to fund two additional projects.

The first is fully funding the 25-year Sean Hughes Character Counts Scholarship through the Lower Merion Township Scholarship Fund. As with all scholarships awarded by LMTSF, this will be a needs-based scholarship, with particular consideration given to a child who has lost a parent.

The second is the creation of a children's book accompanying curriculum based on Dr. Hughes that emphasizes the importance of character. Children's author and Lower Merion High School alumnus Nahjee Grant is collaborating with Mrs. Kristi Hughes on the book development. Mr. Grant has also designed a sneaker that pays tribute to Dr. Hughes, with proceeds from the shoe sales going toward the Tribute Committee's fundraising goals.

Donations to the Sean Hughes Tribute Committee are being collected through the Education Foundation of Lower Merion and may be made via PayPal (click the Donate button) or by sending a check to:

Sean Hughes Tribute Committee Fund c/o Education Foundation of Lower Merion P.O. Box 79 Narberth, PA 19072