Challenges draw St. Andrew graduates together

IC photo/Linda Petersen

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St. Andrew Catholic School eighth-grade students have grown closer as they have dealt with challenges together this year.

RIVERTON — The members of St. Andrew Catholic School’s eighth-grade graduating class overcame many challenges to reach their goal, challenges that range from physical disabilities to adapting to a new country to just getting along as a group.

The journey was filled with lessons along the way, the students say.

“Our whole class, we had a lot of challenges, but we faced them together,” said Khloe Pham, whose particular challenge was social anxiety.

“I was so shy before,” she said. “I feel like here I’ve learned how to grow into myself more and become a lot more talkative and confident in myself and share what I have to say more.”

“We have a great class this year,” said their teacher, Natalie Benson. “I’m really impressed about where I met them at and where they have reached today. They’ve overcome so much, even in the course of a year. There’s some physical disabilities as well as some educational struggles that these students have had, but I always see them work their hardest and see them push forward even when they don’t fully get it. They’re equipped to ask questions; they really want to really move forward.”

The four girls and four boys in the class come from a variety of backgrounds. Sofia Quintero-Martinez and her family emigrated to the United States from Venezuela when she was 7 years old. She attended a public school until seventh grade, when she transferred to St. Andrew’s, where learning is a lot easier, she said.

“At public school you tend to get ignored, so if you ask a question in class the smart kids in the class will look back at you like ‘How do you not understand it? We do.’ But then there’s the other half of the class that’s like, ‘Oh, wait, I also had that question, but I was just too scared to ask it,’” Sofia said. “I got the feeling that I was dumb for asking questions. Here teachers are very encouraging — if you have questions about anything whatsoever, you can just ask them and not be afraid; they’ll help you get through everything.”

For Damein Haworth, who has Muscular Dystrophy and uses a wheelchair, the last two years have been a time of overcoming shyness, he said. “I feel like when I was younger I used my disability as an excuse to not do as much. I felt like ‘I need to do something different; I can’t be this way all my life.’”

In talking with other kids with MD, Damein said he thinks he has had a better experience at St. Andrew than his peers who attend public schools.

Likewise, Boston Parker, who has the genetic disorder Noonan Syndrome, said that he persevered despite daily challenges. Now he is a stronger student and feels more prepared for high school, he said. “I think I have done better.”

Kaylee Gregorio-Silva faced a problem similar to Khloe’s and Damein’s when she first came to St. Andrew’s, she said. “Getting to know everybody was a challenge for me because I was a quiet one when I first came here,” but since then she has made friends with her peers.

All of the students have grown closer along the way, they said.

“I met a lot of friends over the years and made a stronger bond with them over the years, too,” said Manuel Trejo, who has been a student at St. Andrew’s since fourth grade.

Coleton Kramer began attending St. Andrew’s as a prekindergartener so his whole educational experience has been at the school. He has made several friends along the way, he said.

At the beginning of the school year, the students, like many teens, did not always get along, but over the course of the year they grew closer and now are like a family, Benson said. “I’m really proud to see them do that.”

“We had to learn to live together,” Sofia agreed. “We may not be the best of friends, but we can work together in group settings and projects. The biggest thing has been creating a bond because last year we weren’t that close, and this year I feel like we’re closer.”

The students also improved academically. While last year three of them made honor roll, this year most of them will be listed, Benson said, adding that such growth has been exciting to see, especially because several of the kids entered the school in the seventh grade.

“I think what makes the St. Andrew environment particularly well-suited to help students overcome challenges in their lives is that we meet our students with all of their complexities and work with them one on one to get them to a better place,” Benson said. “As a smaller Catholic school, we are uniquely situated to reach out in a personal, caring way to get them ready for the next stage of their lives.”

All eight of St. Andrew’s graduating students will attend Juan Diego Catholic High School next year.