The library at Danvers High School now bears the name of Colleen E. Ritzer, the Andover native and math teacher killed at the school in 2013.

Community officials and Ritzer's family unveiled the new name during an Aug. 24 ceremony, first reported by the Eagle-Tribune. Students entering the Colleen E. Ritzer Library now see a sign with the new name and a placard displaying Ritzer's photo alongside information about her life.

The renaming grew out of a student-led effort. Danvers High DECA students launched the "We are Be Kind Legacy" campaign, raising money to rename the library and install a commemorative mural. Winchester Savings Bank sponsored the project, but the fundraising was completed by the students themselves.

Ritzer's father Tom, mother Peggie and sister Laura attended the dedication and posed in front of the renamed library. Tom and Peggie Ritzer still live in Andover.

In an April 30 interview with WCVB, Tom Ritzer spoke about the family's drive to preserve Colleen's memory. "Colleen was a very positive person, and we try very hard to carry that on for her," he said.

Peggie Ritzer told the station the family wants Colleen's story to focus on who she was and the lives she touched, not on the circumstances of her death.

Ritzer graduated from Andover High School in 2007 and earned her degree magna cum laude from Assumption College in 2011. She taught geometry and algebra at Danvers High. She was 24 when she was killed on Oct. 22, 2013.

In a college essay preserved by the Colleen E. Ritzer Memorial Fund, she wrote: "My dream is to become a teacher, one who shapes the minds and lives of children."

The memorial fund, created in 2014, has awarded $677,000 in scholarships to 128 future teachers from Andover and Danvers, according to Andover Patch. The scholarships go to graduating seniors who plan to pursue degrees in education.

Pink was Colleen's favorite color. Each May, hundreds of runners and walkers wear pink at the Step Up for Colleen 5K in Andover's Central Park.

What's next: The 14th annual Step Up for Colleen 5K is scheduled for May 2, 2027, in Andover.