Saturday, January 6th, Andrew Sabinis-Chafee was ask to speak at the Wesleyan School Open house. He was one of two elementary students that spoke that day, he sat on a stage with the headmaster, admittance director and other teachers and dignitaries. I can not tell you how proud we were of his writing, delivery and his poise while making that speech. He worked hard over the Christmas holidays, practicing so he could and do a good job telling others what his school meant to him. Kudos to Andrew!
He changed a bit in his delivery (in order to make us laugh) but his speech was as follows...
What I like About Wesleyan
Hi. My name is Andrew Sabonis-Chafee and I’m a 4th grader at Wesleyan. I’ve had the privilege of being at Wesleyan since Kindergarten, and today I’m honored to be standing here talking to you about my experience here at Wesleyan.
My mom would say that the reason my sister and I are here is because God paved the way and continues to provide. I sure am glad that God knows what he’s doing because I wouldn’t have wanted to go anywhere else other than Wesleyan for the past 5 years.
Wesleyan is a great school with great teachers, great faculty and all around great everything. Whenever the teachers have a chance, they always do something nice for you. Whether it is to set up a game or grading papers. Our motto here is J.O.Y., Jesus, Others, Yourself, and the teachers are always following that rule.
When I started Kindergarten on the first day of school, I was nervous, but everyone treated me like we had known each other for years. Everyone is like family to me at Wesleyan.
As I think back to all my years here so far (and God willing more in the future), there are a few things that I can remember about each of my teachers that made a difference to me:
In kindergarten, Mrs. Podojil was loving and kind. If we were good we got to sleep in a loft that was built for her room. I was a bit chatty so I would only admire the loft from a distance.
In first grade, Mrs. Johnson was ready to share what she knew (and she knew a lot). And when we were good, she always gave us a piece of candy.
In second grade, Mrs. Dailey (who’s no longer here) was always patient and caring. I’ll always remember going on a long nature walk trying to identify what things we found. She had a way of teaching us through actions.
In third grade, Mrs. Ching taught us by making everything fun. Most of the time when we had trash at our table she’d allow us to throw it into the waste basket. If you made it in the first try she’d give us a piece of candy. By now you can probably tell what children are motivated by.
Last by not least, Ms. Waters in forth grade is always nice and considerate of other people. If we have a problem, or something we need help with, we can write her a note and talk to her about it. She also assigns kids who have extra time with fun projects to complete.
Plays in every classroom are also a highlight each year and since I have a passion for acting I usually get a good part.
The teachers at Wesleyan are just one thing that makes the school special. We learn about Jesus through bible class, we learn about what to do when we encounter everyday problems in Chapel, we have Guidance class which teaches us to make good life choices, and we have a great playground for running and playing on.
Our principle is cool because she gives out mentions for students once a month. A mention is when the teacher gives an encouraging comment and Mrs. Wood reads them over the intercom. She is a great principle that makes the students feel extra special.
We have lots of field trips. One of my favorites was when we went on a train trip to Alabama. The school lunches aren’t that bad either, but they do need a little help with their macaroni. We have really fun parties that the parents usually put together for us. We are really lucky to have caring parents that help out with parties throughout the year. They even throw us really big parties like the annual Hoedown. That’s one of my favorite things.
Even though this is the only school I’ve ever known, I am thankful for each year that I can stay here. Thank you for giving me a chance to talk to you about Wesleyan, and thank you to my teachers who have made an impact on my life.
BRAVO, ANDREW, BRAVO!!
- Mimi
(P.S. Joe and Mike (in a men's league) started roller hockey today...I hope the big guy didn't get hurt! Let me know the extracurricular things that you and yours are doing. I would love to let everyone in on the fun and achievements.)
Keegan had a terrific season for his baseball league.As a pitcher, his record was 12-2. His team, the Phillies, won in the semi-finals. Keegan had 6 RBIs and struck out several batters in his allotment of less than 20 pitches. The coaches kept his pitch count down so he, and one other friend - Liam - could pitch the final game. They won that championship game, too. Keegan was the starting pitcher and held the other team scoreless, while his Phillies scored 4 runs. Keegan was selected for the All-Star team and is practicing for a week of all-star competition.
(Mom, Kristin, says, “Keegan had a game earlier in the season where he struck out 9 batters with 28 pitches! He's really fun to watch. Impressive concentration and just enough drama to make everyone feel that every pitch matters.”)
