Recent WTHS Graduates Surprise Their Former First-Grade Teacher with Lunch, Memory Book
On July 3, 2018, Thomas Jefferson Elementary school teacher Danielle Farese was treated to a moment, the memory of which she will carry for a lifetime.
Believing that she was meeting her friend, Victoria Rink, and Rink’s son, Kyle, for a casual summer lunch, Farese instead was greeted by the Rinks and four more of her former students and their mothers for a surprise celebration at the Seven Stars Diner in Washington Township. The once wide-eyed six-year-olds had brought life full circle to the now wide- (and teary-) eyed Farese.
Kyle Rink, Mark Brandjord, Nicholas Shute, Spencer Reitano, David Lee (along with Henry MacCarter, who was unable to attend the celebration) had bonded with Farese and each other while first-graders at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School in 2007. Farese has been at Thomas Jefferson for 19 years, but moved from a regular classroom to a part-time basic skills position in 2011 following the birth of her first child. The boys, all members of the WTHS Class of 2018, thanked Farese for the foundation that she had provided to them as first-graders and presented her with a memory book during the impromptu reunion.
“I was expecting to see Victoria and Kyle, but I had no idea the other boys and their moms also would be there,” Farese said. “They went back to TJ and took photos in the classroom that we shared in 2007 and created a beautiful memory book for me.
“Back in first grade, most of the boys were on the shy side, very quiet and always well-behaved, which is not very common for first-grade boys,” she said. “I think that is why they bonded so well. These boys really created a unique bond that year and remain very close today. They all have grown into such sweet gentlemen. We reminisced and caught up on their accomplishments and college plans. Teaching part-time now, I don’t always get a chance to establish closer relationships with students and parents as a did as a full-time teacher. I do miss that aspect of having my own classroom. This reminded me how special that classroom can be. It was so sweet that the boys were so happy and excited to participate. It melted my heart, especially since they are 18-year-olds now. This day meant so much to me. It will be such a special memory for me always.”
(Left to right): Former Thomas Jefferson Elementary School students and recent Washington Township High School graduates Kyle Rink, Mark Brandjord, Nicholas Shute, Spencer Reitano, and David Lee pose with their first-grade teacher Danielle Farese. Farese is holding a photo of Henry MacCarter who was unable to attend the lunch.
Recent WTHS graduates (left to right) Spencer Reitano, Nicholas Shute, Kyle Rink, David Lee, Henry MacCarter and Mark Brandjord donned their caps and gowns and posed in their first-grade classroom at Thomas Jefferson Elementary for a photo they included in a memory book created for their former teacher, Danielle Farese.
Left to right: Spencer Reitano, Kyle Rink, Mark Brandjord, David Lee, Nicholas Shute and Henry MacCarter reunited in their former first-grade classroom at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School.