VILLA HILLS, Ky. — A new gift to Villa Madonna Academy will honor the lives of Chase and Cole Fischer.
Brothers Chase, 18, and Cole, 14, were killed in a tragic boating accident on Lake Cumberland in July. Both attended Villa Madonna Academy — Chase had just graduated and was set to attend the University of Utah, while Cole had just completed eighth grade.
The Fischer family made the donation to the school’s capital campaign, transforming the first floor of the school’s main building into the Chase and Cole Fischer STEM Wing.
Villa Madonna Academy Executive Director Pamela McQueen said the donation will support renovated labs, new classroom space and opportunities for robotics and MakerSpace.
“We know that for generations to come that everybody who walks into the STEM wing — the students who learn, the teachers who teach there — will know about Chase and Cole and that their legacy will live on forever,” McQueen said.
The loss of Chase and Cole was “tremendous” for the school community, McQueen said.
“The boys, having been here so long, they become my children,” she said. “That’s how you look upon them.”
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The K-12 school only has about 500 total students. McQueen called it a “huge family.”
“They were two boys who loved every part of their day and they just lived in the moment,” said their friend and cross country teammate Adam Kolar. “They always had a smile on their face.”
Kolar helped put together a mural in the boys’ honor over Chase’s parking spot.
“It's such a bright mural and reminds me of all the bright memories I have with them,” he said.
The mural includes different designs that evoke memories of Chase and Cole, like Chase’s green Jeep and Cole’s cow Clarabelle.
Kolar described Chase as “an incredible guy” who was “very devoted to his friends.” He said Cole could hold a conversation with anybody and “always did.”
“Everybody has these bracelets on and for me, that's a reminder to carry them with me in everything I do,” said Kolar. “None of us have moved on. They're just moving with us.”
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