I have a hard time putting into words how much I love these kiddos. I’ve never met a group of kids so resilient, strong, determined, ambitious, and selfless. They have the absolute biggest hearts.
I remember one time Christie asked me if I could get her her own mango to eat. I promised her I would and she was SO excited to have her own. She kept asking me all day if I had it yet. That night we slipped into one of the classrooms and I surprised her with a mango. She was ELATED. She was so giggly and smiley and completely thrilled about having her own mango. It makes you view life differently when you see how something so simple can make someone so incredibly happy. After a minute she looked at me and asked if we could go get Wilmy so she could share with him. We found Wilmy and he was so happy he got to have some. As we were walking back to the classroom, we passed Jouvenky who Christie immediately wanted to share with. After Christie had done all her sharing, she only got a small piece of the mango she had been so excited for. She was so happy with that though because it meant others got some too. All the kids were like this. If they had something, they shared it. If a teacher gave a piece of candy to one kid, that kid made sure to ask for extras so they could give it to other kids. If a teacher was giving out scoops of peanut butter, the kids who were nearby went running to tell the other kids to hurry over quick so they could have some too. They were always looking out for each other and the bond they share is so special.
Simply put, I’m better just for knowing them. I never understood people who said they loved someone more and more each day until I met these kids. I would think to myself, “there is no way I could ever love these crazy kids any more than I already do.” But then the next day would come and I could literally feel my love for them grow. It was like that every single day. It was a different type of love that I had never experienced before. They are special kids who have such bright futures ahead of them. In the famous words of Berline, “I love you one million” you sweet kiddos!
-Kristine Staheli; Head Teacher; Summer 2017
