Diego is another member of this incredibly bonded Sixth Year class. He and his two older siblings as well as his parents have all been part of our wonderful community of learners, any now that the Diego moves on, the family will be missed. ~ Suzanne Lawson

(Pictured above: As his Elementary II weekly job, Diego, a Yellow Room alumnus himself, chose to read to current Yellow Room Children’s House students.)

Jeez! So much time has gone by, and I still can’t remember it all. I have had so much fun in all my time in Bridgeview Montessori. My brother and sister went to this school, and everybody knew them and loved them. They were people's idols, and I was just a kid. But that didn’t stop me. I tried my best to stay on the positive side. When I started Bridgeview, I hoped that they would take me under their wings.

Nope! The first day they left, and I was stuck in a whole room with children I didn’t know. I was terrified. I hid under a table a lot. I would hold hands with the teachers for recess. I was terrified of everybody besides the teachers. Then one day a girl popped her head near my table. I did the proper introduction by screaming. Her name was Lydia. She showed me around, but it didn’t help me. Each day was another horror. I only knew the teachers and Lydia. Nobody else. My brother and sister were off having fun while I was under a table.

The next year, I didn’t come back to Bridgeview. Instead I went to Joyful Noise preschool. I learned that some people aren’t scary. For kindergarten, I came back to Bridgeview. It was fun. I was in a different room, but I still had fun. There were new works, new people. A whole new world. Of course, I was still sort of scared; I mean who wasn’t? There were book buddies, so I got to see my brother more often. Just like that, Kindergarten came to an end.

In first grade, I still had the same friends, but also some new ones. In first grade, my brother came down every so often to change the clocks as that was his in-school job. He pretended that I didn’t exist. There was so much excitement in first grade. My teacher Melissa was so nice to me and knew how I was feeling all the time. If I was sad, she would tell me that everything would be okay. At the end of the year, my brother graduated. Now my family legacy was putting pressure on me. I had to look good for them.

Then it was second grade. I still had the same friends. There was a new teacher, Rebecca. She was really into animals and animation. Right there I decided that I wanted to become an animator, but then people kept asking me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I kept telling them “I don’t know;” I liked making short movies, making art, playing games, but I still didn’t want to decide yet.

Then it was third grade. Rebecca was still there, but there was a new teacher, Oona. In that year, I was preparing for the beyond also known as EII. I wanted harder work to prove that I was willing. Oona kept telling me that it was not my level but not in a mean way. Then Covid came.

Finally, fourth grade came, and I was not prepared. Covid knocked everybody off their balance. We had to wear masks for the majority of the year. That year, I learned how to play soccer, and I was decent at it. I was finally in the upper class.

5th grade had some masks in the beginning. My science fair was the best I’d ever done. I created a drone, and it worked. It took a lot of grit and patience. The drone had four motors. I was very proud of it.

Then there is this year that has gone by so fast. There have been so many thrills along the way to where I am now.  For most of the school year, I have been wearing my brace on my wrist. I still hate it, but it has helped me protect it. I still play soccer every day with my friends. Throughout my whole Bridgeview life, I have had the same friends; they have been with me from the beginning of my life to where I am now.

Ever since I came here, I wanted to be special. I tried to be other people. when trying to be other people, I forgot to try and find myself. When anybody asked who I wanted to be when I grew up, I just made stuff up. I didn’t want to know what I wanted to be, but I was too scared to tell that to other people. I was scared that they would make fun of me. I learned that at Bridgeview, you can find yourself. There are all different works that lead to more understanding. Next year I will be going to Sandwich Middle and High School where my brother is. When I first learned that I was going to go there, I thought that I would be in Tony’s shadow. Everybody says that we look alike, and I am probably going to do some of the same thing as he. My brother is someone that everyone knows, and I am scared that I will be called “little Tony.” I told my brother this, and for a second, he wasn’t that reassuring. He said something like, “Yeah, they probably will.” But then he went on to say, “But if they say that, you can say, ‘I am Tony’s brother, but my name is Diego.’” Then he said, “You are a completely different person than I am, and you are yourself.” I like different things than my brother; I am a completely different person than he is.

So thank you to Tony. Thank you to my whole entire family who had my back for this whole entire time as I leave Bridgeview with a big smile on my face. Thank you to Jolie who always makes lessons fun. Thank you to Kathleen who always has a joke to tell us or a song.  Thank you to Cathy who always teaches me a different way to think about math. Thank you to my teachers, from preschool to now. Thank you Sandy for bringing me into this program. As I mentioned before, I will be going to Sandwich Middle and High School. I know some people there. Before I leave, I would just like to thank all of you in the audience. Diego Santos out.