Mario Pacheco received a surprise from his classmates in Springdale (Arkansas) that he will never forget, on the last day of this eventful school year.
Pacheco, a blind 5th grader, is one of the top students at Turnbow Elementary School. “It was a difficult year, but we finally made it,” he said.
Thursday received something made especially for him: a Braille yearbook and 3D prints from his classmates and teachers. “I can’t believe everyone, like my friends, is here,” Mario said. “It just means that I will never forget them.”
The masterminds behind the idea were a group of students and teacher Tracy Whelan, who dedicated hundreds of hours of work to a gift that Mario will cherish forever.
“I thought it would be fun for Mario to see all of his classmates,” said student Levi Robertson. “It felt special working to make someone happy,” added student Sima Alsuhaibani.
“All children are valued here so much that even if Mario is visually impaired, it doesn’t matter. He is one of the classmates, he is one of their friends and they take good care of each other here, “commented teacher Whelan. The 3D print Mario was most excited about was his vision teacher, who taught him Braille.
Marithza Ocampo, Mario’s mother, states that stopped buying yearbooks after he was disappointed to feel only a smooth page, but now there’s a new meaning to put a face to a name. “All this crowd, this commotion just for him, it’s incredible. Honestly, I am speechless, ”said Mrs. Ocampo.
Whelan says the school just got the technology used to make the specialized yearbook at the end of the last semester. That only raises the bar for future students and the projects they will want to do to give back to their community, Pix11 reported.
Class surprises blind 5th grader with Braille yearbook and 3-D prints of their portraits https://t.co/u02lkcknhm
– KFOR (@kfor) May 31, 2021
