A Visit to Remember

by Emile Keller

Several weeks ago, a group of DreamYard students and staff
members prepared for the visit of Caroline Kennedy. The students
were Haydil Henriquez, Tahiana Urena, Jay Julien and myself. It was
an honor to have such a revered figure in our school. Being that it was
our first time to ever meet her, we were all pretty nervous; at the same
time, we were engulfed in a wave of excitement.

When she arrived at our school, she was directed to Room 427
to discuss the purpose of her visit. We expected her to be accompanied
by a large entourage, but instead, she showed up with only one
of her personal advisers. That day, there were more school safety officers
on our floor than usual. The meeting started off with the introduction
of everyone. After this brief introduction, which gave her a
sense of what role each individual plays in our community, the main
discussion began. She asked each one of us several questions. I recall
her asking me about what I learn in school. My response was that
I learn how to become a better and stronger leader everyday. Many
more questions were asked. When she was done asking them, Jay
briefly explained to her why having a school building of our own is
necessary. This was actually the reason for her visit to DreamYard:
to help us get a building of our own. While she was here, she was
also enthralled by our poetry slam team, which was last year's Bronx
Writes champions.

After meeting with the students and staff, Mr. Bowen and Ms.
Wargo took her on a quick tour around the school and had her observe
one of our classes. Her visit at DreamYard will be forever marked on
our calendar as one our school's most memorable days. We hope we
impressed her and made her want to help us obtain a building of our
own.