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In Memory of Nathan

Jun 02, 2009

Elim’s staff and student body mourned the loss of two treasured students in past months. Below is a tribute written for Nathan by his classroom teacher:

Nathan Frigo knew what was important in life-blueberry pancakes, rock n’roll, yogurt, smoothies and friends. Nathan was only at Elim a short time but in that short time he made a BIG impact on the lives of the people that knew him. Nathan was no ordinary guy. Nathan had a smile that could light up any room and cheer you up on the hardest of days. Nathan knew that lunch was the most important part of his day because this is when he got his blueberry pancakes for lunch. Life did not get much better for Nathan than having blueberry pancakes for lunch. We knew Nathan was smiling down on us when we had a Blueberry Pancake lunch in honor of our friend Nathan. For those of us that had the pleasure of working with Nathan on a daily basis you would get to hear an earful of “mama’s” from him and you just knew he was trying to tell you something very important. It isn’t often that you run into a 13 year old who loves listening to rock n’ roll music-mainly the Rolling Stones!

In the short time Nathan was in my classroom he made some great friendships. He had a best buddy-everyone needs a best buddy and Nathan had one and his name was Connor. After Nathan passed away we put up a bulletin board in the Middle School hallway of memories of Nathan. Even though Nathan’s presence at Elim was brief he made a huge impact with his presence and the proof is the bulletin board that is filled with memories of Nathan. In our classroom we talked about what we are going to remember about Nathan. Nathan’s best buddy Connor said “I will remember Nathan’s friendship” Other common themes on the remembrance board are “warm smile, and hugs!” Mrs. Frigo said Nathan being accepted to Elim was like winning the lottery but all of us that knew Nathan think that knowing Nathan and working with him everyday was like winning the lottery. We all miss Nathan terribly and there is an emptiness in our classroom and in our hearts. However we do have the memories and knowing his presence is still with us. Nathan’s classroom assistant Ms. Alice would always say “Rock on Nathan Rock on” and I know that is just what Nathan is doing!