Imagination Space Honors Hanna and Rebecca Lawrence

Comment Eager preschoolers crowded around the stove of a make-believe kitchen. A student placed a stethoscope over the heart of a fuzzy frog hand-puppet. Third-grader Journey Grant slipped on a pink tutu and picked up a wand studded with jewels. Grant explained that she was a fairy that Tuesday afternoon. “I’m pretending to have magic,” she said. Hanna and Rebecca’s Imagination Space has brought some real magic to James Bowie Elementary School on North Marsalis Avenue. The bright, window-filled space honors Hanna and Rebecca Lawrence, twin 8-year-olds who lost their lives during last year’s Hill Country floods. Hanna and Rebecca were students at University Park Elementary in Highland Park ISD. The space 20 minutes south of their school is intended to help all children thrive and share their love of learning, explained Jessica Frank, a family friend and the Lawrences’ longtime babysitter. “The girls loved going to school and really found their passions,” Frank said. “We just wanted a space where other children would have that same opportunity.” Frank worked with nonprofit Dwell with Dignity to create the room, which honors Rebecca’s desire to one day become a teacher. A small kitchen within it remembers Hanna’s ambition to become a chef. There are cozy corners for Rebecca, who loved to be comfortable and cuddly, chef’s hats and cookbooks for Hanna, and art supplies for both girls. The room is decorated with puffy white clouds, rainbows, and butterflies in the pretty shades that the girls loved. Its shelves overflow with books and colorful stuffed animals — dogs, pandas, a care bear, and a bumblebee. There are easels, containers of Play-Doh and washable markers, cozy seats, games, and everything students might need to imagine themselves as a chef, firefighter, or princess. “You couldn’t create a more enticing, engaging space for students at an elementary school,” assistant principal Marcus Bones said. “The visual of it alone, walking by here, creates energy and motivation. It’s inspirational to see.” Since opening this summer, the Imagination Space has become so popular that the school has created a sign-up to schedule visits. On Fridays, students who have excelled during the week are rewarded with time in the special room. One Friday, students baked cookies in the real kitchen, which is complete with a toaster oven and mini fridge. Another week, they prepared pizza, said teacher Felisha Hosein. Hosein’s class of kindergarteners has especially enjoyed playing in the pretend kitchen and painting on mini canvases that they could bring home to their families. “We’re going to do our best to keep this place nice, and clean, and organized so that we can keep coming and enjoying it,” she said. “I’m just very grateful that they chose our school.” One Tuesday afternoon, third-grader Thiago Hernandez showed visitors the real kitchen, where he hopes to prepare desserts. He pointed out the baking hats hanging on the wall, the cookbooks, and the light turquoise microwave. Then, he turned to a portrait of Hanna and Rebecca. An image of the smiling girls with matching bows in their hair has been placed at the end of a rainbow that extends along the room’s ceiling. The portrait is surrounded by small pink, yellow, and blue butterflies. “These are the two girls that died in the flood. They were two sisters,” Hernandez said. He believes Hanna and Rebecca would have approved of the room, “I think they would really like it.” Author Sarah Hodges View Profile Sarah Hodges is editor of People Newspapers. She wrote for The Kansas City Star , served in the Peace Corps, worked as a law firm associate, and spent more than a decade caring for her children as a stay-at-home parent prior to joining Park Cities People as managing editor in 2024. In her spare time, you can find her running, either around the neighborhood or to various kid activities. PCN