Times of Brunswick, Winter 2017

Page 53

FLEX TIME HORIZONS AT BRUNSWICK

already working. Santi, though, remained distracted by his toy and asked the teacher if he could play with it. She said no. Thinking he was clever, he asked me, too. I told him he could show it to me at recess if he solved his math problems. Santi smiled and put his nose to the grindstone. He finished in a flash. Later at recess, Santi and I played with his

EDITOR’S NOTE Senior Nate Skolds began volunteering for Horizons at Brunswick two summers ago — and has since launched a club to rally other students in support of the fledgling program. The HOB Club assists with the Horizons Saturday Program, offering a helping hand at the swim-a-thon, providing reading mentors for the six non-summer sessions, and raising funds through food sales and other initiatives. Here, Nate offers an up-close look into his valuable experience at Horizons.

Buzz Lightyear toy. Soon, I worked almost exclusively with

Buzzing Ahead, Light-Years at a Time By Nate Skolds ’17

M

Y SHORTS disappeared. My

higher-level reading exercises together. Santi began to think of me as a friend, not a teacher. He told me about when he went to the zoo and about his brother. One day, he finished writing about our

sunglasses were shattered. I sat

field trip to the aquarium and asked me what

on a school bus full of screaming

he should do. I told him, jokingly, to write

young kids. I was punched, slapped,

another paragraph.

and tackled. But somehow, it was my best summer to date. I worked as a classroom assistant at Horizons — a six-week summer enrichment program for less fortunate children from Greenwich —

He did. Teachers came to expect the best from Santi. He befriended other boys. He thrived in the Horizons’ environment. He had transformed from troublemaker to

charged with helping kindergartners with their

role model — gone from running away from

academic work and playing with them at recess.

class to holding my hand while walking to

Like any class, there were troublemakers. And Santiago was the lead dog. One day, he stole an important Post-it

the pool. Graduation came and Santi’s mom asked if I was “Mr. Nate.” I proudly responded that I

note from me on the bus and threw it out the

was. She asked me to take a picture with her

window. He also loved to douse other kids’

son. Santi hugged me and said he would see

hair with Purell.

me during the school year.

Every morning, Santi, as he liked to be

I lost many things by the end of camp:

called, failed to get his work done. He’d have to

Hours of sleep, my shorts, and my sunglasses.

meet with the head of Horizons regularly.

But I did find something.

One day, I was asked to help Santi as we

Nate Skolds ’17 happily volunteers at all Horizons sessions throughout the summer and during the school year.

Santi’s table — completing writing, math, and

I rediscovered the reason I initially

split up into math groups. He had his favorite

volunteered at Horizons. The answer was

toy, a Buzz Lightyear doll, in tow.

embedded in the transformation of a short

When I sat down, two other boys were

blond boy named Santiago.

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