We love hearing the impact Baymonte has on students and families. Recently, the Richardson family shared their experience at Baymonte:
“It was August 2008; my wife and I were about to make one of the most impactful decisions of our lives. We didn’t realize it at the time, but eleven years later, we reflect on just how important that one decision turned out to be. That was the month we dropped off our first child at the Little Red School House on Scotts Valley Drive. As we said our goodbyes and slowly walked towards our car, I vividly remember the tears streaming down her face as she looked on from the window. I recall sitting in the car with my wife, looking over to her and asking, “did we just abandon our daughter?” With that excruciating morning under our belts, our Baymonte experience had officially begun.
Meet our oldest daughter, one of the shyest and sweetest girls you’re ever going to meet. After a couple of years, she earned that preschool diploma, and proudly marched onto the main campus on Granite Creek as she entered kindergarten. This is where she met her 4th grade reading buddy, a girl she would lean on over the years for love, encouragement and a role model to admire. Daily she would see her buddy on the playground and would be wrapped into her warm embrace. This 4th grade buddy knew just how important her role was in shaping our daughter. You see, she had the same experience when she was in kindergarten, and now, as many 4th graders at Baymonte do, so she simply repaying what she received. Looking back, this single relationship was so incredibly formative for our daughter. How do you possible quantify the value of having a 4th grade mentor, who would daily show love and guidance to your baby?
Our daughter was starting to thrive, but she still had a long way to go. Did I mention she was one of the shyest girls you would ever meet? As we sat down for our parent/teacher conference when she was in 1st Grade, this phrase is something I will never forget. “Your daughter is so sweet, but I have to tell you, she is one of the most uncommunicative students I have ever had in my class.” I recall picking her up from school and she would race to use the bathroom, she was too shy to even raise her hand to handle her business. Yes, that shy. She did well with written assignments, but when it came to vocal obligations, she was terrified. We knew this was a hurdle she would need to step over as she got older, but as her parents, it felt so insurmountable. We would work tirelessly at home to build her confidence, but the reality was, she spent most of her time at school. We could only do so much. This is where our decision in August 2008 continued to pay invaluable dividends.
Year after year, grade after grade, teacher after teacher, our daughter’s confidence was beginning to grow, her shell was starting to crack. Every day when she walked onto that Baymonte campus, she was encouraged, she would be prayed for, and daily she was relentlessly loved. It’s been said that love is the most powerful emotion we can experience. The transformative impact that we experience when we are loved cannot be refuted.
Fast forward to June 2019, our baby girl is walking down the aisle of her middle school graduation and my wife and I couldn’t be prouder. As we tried to come to grips with just how quickly eleven years had flown by, we watched on as she slowly strode to the podium to deliver the keynote student address. That’s right, the most uncommunicative student in the history of 1st graders, was about to speak at her middle school graduation to a crowd of 200 people. As I write this, the emotions of this moment stir overwhelmingly inside of me. The significance of sending this shy girl to Baymonte simply cannot be adequately expressed. Day by day, they shaped our daughter into an incredible and confident young lady.
Today, our youngest daughter is in 4th grade; every time she sees that little kindergarten buddy of hers, she races over and wraps her tightly into her loving embrace. You see, this was something she watched her brother do routinely three years ago when he had his 4th grade buddy. Our son learned this from his oldest sister. She was the shy one, who learned the value of a 4th grade buddy’s hug when she was just a kindergartener. This is one of a thousand examples of what defines the Baymonte experience. It’s incredible how one strategic reading buddy relationship can help define a culture, and why the Baymonte campus is unlike any other.
Often lessons learned at school, the experiences which help you grow and develop, extend well beyond what transpires inside the four walls of a classroom.
Sincerely,
One deeply indebted father to a staff and administration who unconditionally love on my children daily”