Stories
Hats Off to NYL Graduates!
July 13, 2010
The YAI Network recently kick started the summer season by celebrating the graduation of more than 700 children from Early Intervention and Preschool programs at the New York League for Early Learning (NYL), a member of the YAI Network. Congrats, grads, parents and teachers!
Dan Keston, whose daughter, Sadie, was among the graduates at NYL Gramercy School in Manhattan, teared up as he watched his little girl receive her diploma. “Graduation is very emotional because we didn’t always know how or when we’d reach this day. My wife and I are so proud of Sadie and so unbelievably impressed with the work that everyone at Gramercy put in over the last two years. We are so lucky to have found YAI.”
But it is not just the parents who find NYL graduation to be an emotional day. Teachers and staff, too, lined up to take a celebratory photo with each graduate, to swap stories of triumph with parents, and to cherish each thank-you hug received. Melanie Schuler, an NYL Special Education teacher for 5 ½ years, grinned ear-to-ear as she interacted with each graduate and their family. “Every year, graduation is emotional – but it’s also exciting,” she said. “Looking back at each student and knowing where they came from, what they’ve done and who they’ve become – it’s really amazing! In the years they spent here, their personality has blossomed and it’s such an incredible honor to play a role in that.”
The smiling faces of the graduates and their parents were a testament to the heartfelt dedication of NYL staff. “The teachers here are an extension of my family,” said Michele Simeone, whose daughter, Brianna, graduated from the NYL William O’Connor Bay Ridge School in Brooklyn. Brianna, who is five years old, will be moving on to a public school Kindergarten class for gifted and talented students in the fall. Michele continued, “Everyone here has the same goal – to get the kids to succeed. I know Brianna can do anything she sets out to do because of the quality and caliber of the people here. I trust them with my child’s life – it’s a relationship that will last forever. This is home. We’ll always come back home.” Learn more about supporting the New York League today.
