Letter from the Director
Dear Parents and Guardians:
On May 28, 2008 Austin Ryan Rivera, a grade two student in the Primary Learning Center at the Amvet Boulevard School passed away unexpectedly due to health complications. Austin, the son of Francisco and Carla and the brother of Katelyn and Amelie Rivera, joined our school community at age three when he began at our Early Learning Center. Often during the cold weather months, Austin’s health would prevent him from being able to attend school, so over the years teachers and therapists would be welcomed into the Rivera home with armfuls of teaching materials to bring school to Austin. Staff in his program at the Amvet Boulevard School still speak of his infectious smile and the joy he experienced on those days he could attend school along side his classmates.
While the North Attleborough staff that had come to know and love Austin tried to grapple with his loss, they knew they needed to turn their grief into creating a living memory of this very special little boy. With some imagination, careful planning and good old-fashioned hard work Austin’s Garden was created. Located in the courtyard at Amvet Boulevard School, this labor of love is even more beautiful now that the season has changed and it is dotted with fall colors. At the head of the garden is the statue of the Boy at St. Mark’s Square, which at the right time of day appears to cast a shadow on the buckwheat mulch inviting you to come closer. The garden also includes Golden Euonymus, Mexican Heather, Boxwood, various steppables on the path and some seasonal plantings. Just prior to the opening of school this September, the Rivera’s joined the staff that created the garden to place a stone, which says, “Austin’s Garden.” This quiet gathering allowed both staff and the family to pay tribute to a young boy that had touched the lives of so many in his short eight-year life.
At Austin’s memorial service we heard just how much he enjoyed time spent outdoors with his family. In 2004, the Make-A-Wish Foundation granted Austin’s wish to have a swing set in his backyard. It was clear that many wonderful family memories were created in the Rivera’s backyard. According to Mr. and Mrs. Rivera, Austin also enjoyed spending time at World War I Memorial Park. For those of you who may not know this, the amazing changes at WWI are a result of the Julia Cekala Foundation. Like Austin, Julia Cekala, a nine year old who attended Community School, faced complicated health issues and lost her battle far too young. The goal of The Julia Cekala Foundation is to focus on the issues that affected Julia’s life and to support the community through recreation, education and medical assistance. The foundation wasn't created with the focus of how Julia passed but rather to celebrate the memory of how she lived. Today when you visit World War I Memorial Park you will find both Julia’s playground and Julia’s garden.
While Austin and his family enjoyed their outings to World War I Memorial Park, Mr. and Mrs. Rivera had always wished there was handicapped accessible parking and an adaptive swing there for their son Austin and other children with physical challenges. An adaptive swing would provide greater access to enjoy a playground that is enjoyed by so many local families. As a tribute to their son and brother, the Rivera family made it their mission to see that both of these additions took place. Now as you round the corner and head up the hill towards the playground the adaptive swing hangs prominently between all of the others and it is easily accessible from the parking area. On a recent day when I visited the park, it was a wonderful sight to see all the children, regardless of their challenges playing together among the birds, butterflies and beautiful fall leaves. I smiled as I drove away as I believe that both Austin and Julia would both have wanted it this way!
Kindest Regards,
Julieann Hoell
Director of Special Education
