The Governor - November 2014

Page 1

A PUBLIC FORUM FOR NEWS, OPINION, AND CREATIVE THOUGHT OF THE GOVERNOR’S ACADEMY

Issue #

In Remembrance of Ms. Laurette R. Pike SOLOMON KIM ‘15

We recently lost one of our most positive and memorable members of our Govs community, Ms. Laurette R. Pike. Ms. Pike was truly a compassionate, heart-warming mother, grandmother, friend, and mentor. She worked at the Academy on the last day of her life, and showed us all what it meant to be grateful and positive. Even if you never spoke with Ms. Pike, you might remember her as the “clicker lady” in our dining hall. She took accounting of how many people ate and how balanced their meals were. “Laurette’s table” was next to the icecream station. She began her work at the Academy in the summer of 2008. During the past six years, Ms. Pike constantly tried to brighten peoples’ days. She purchased bags of candy to give to students after they won a big game or scored a goal. She knew everyone’s birthdays, greeted everyone with a smile, knitted baby blankets and sweater sets for families in our community. Ms. Pike knew each of our birthdays and sent cards at the beginning of every month. For Boss’s days, she would purchase a card and have the kitchen staff sign it for our dining hall director, Mr. Alonzi. In fact, she had already purchased this year’s card. Dr. LaFlamme, Ms. Pike’s grand-daughter, recalls what her grandmother always said: “Little things matter.” A Govs graduate stated that Ms. Pike was the most important person to her at the Academy, and that she had eaten lunch with her every day of her senior year. In her life of eighty-eight years, Ms. Pike faced numerous obstacles; however,

Dr. LaFlamme recalls that Ms. Pike never complained. Dr. LaFlamme, in her eulogy, wrote, “Only once, did she ever complain. It was after her cataract surgery. Her eyes had been blurry for days, and she thought that she might not be able to drive again, which would have meant the loss of her independence, and thus her pride in her ability to make her own way in this world.” Likewise, she was grateful for her life and lived every day to the fullest.

“Honor and love the people in your life while you have them.” - Ms. Laurette R. Pike

Ms. Pike indeed influenced many people. Dr. LaFlamme sponsored an El Salvadorian elder named Damian through Unbound, a non-profit organization which grants direct benefits to children and elders in developing nations to help them live with dignity and hope, in honor of her for her 88th birthday. Ms. Pike received her first letter from her sponsored friend, Damian, on the day she died. She never got to see the letter and how grateful he was for her sponsorship. Dr. LaFlamme worked with this organization for 14 years, had recently visited El Salvador, and sponsored five children Dr. Laflamme said that she has become the person that she is now because (Please turn to page 3)

Photo Courtesy of Dr. Laflamme

A Very ‘Special’ Tradition JULIA KEITH ‘16

Every year, on the first Sunday in November, hundreds of eager Special Olympic soccer players and hundreds of volunteers flood the Governor’s campus for the annual Special Olympics Massachusetts State Soccer Tournament. It is a day filled with laughter, hard work and, of course, lots of soccer! This tradition is made possible by many student and faculty volunteers, who dedicate countless hours planning and organizing to make the event a very Special day. Their hard work is evident in the seamless way the event is run. What

may not be known, however, is the hard work that the Special Olympics teams put in to prepare for this state tournament. This is my 8th year partnering with the Andover Stars Special Olympics Soccer Team. And I know firsthand the practice and preparation required before the teams compete at States. Practices begin the first Sunday after Labor Day, and continue right up to the big event at Govs. Just before practices begins, eager Special Olympic Athletes, ranging in age from 8 to

(Please turn to page 6)

Going the Extra Mile LYDIA FANNING ‘16

My older sister Becca ran the New York marathon for the first time this year. Her company, Airbnb, an online accommodations agency, sponsored the marathon. Airbnb is a website that allows people to rent out their homes, spare rooms or even couches to travelers. Airbnb sponsored a unique runner named Simon Wheatcroft. I was able to connect with Simon for a phone interview two weeks before the New York Marathon. At this point, he was about to start his 260mile journey on foot to New York City. But more about that later. Simon Wheatcroft, a 32-year-old ultramarathoner from the UK, regularly runs and competes in races at the ultra

distance, defined as any distance over 26.2 miles. He might seem like a likely candidate for the New York Marathon, but Simon lacks something that most other runners possess: sight. When he was seventeen, Simon was declared legally blind. He was born with a degenerative eye condition called Retinis Pigmentosa, and has been dealing with the gradual loss of his sight for most of his life. Simon’s interest in running began because it was a simple and relatively inexpensive sport that did not require a lot of equipment. Simon started running back and forth between two goalposts on a soccer field (Please turn to page 3)


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.