Marlo Reyes held up a card with the letter “B” for her small group of students.
The group of about five sounded out the letter, “buh, buh, buh.”
“Remember what it’s called?” Reyes asked the children. “Big baby B.”
Reyes reviewed the letters of the alphabet with the elementary schoolers during the first week of school. It’s her 30th year at Knickrehm Elementary School in Grand Island Public Schools, and it will be her last. She’s retiring at the end of the year.
“The weeks, the months, the years just have flown,” Reyes said.
Reyes works as an interpreter and English language paraeducator at the school.
“Not only myself, like the secretary is bilingual, also our EL teacher,” Reyes said. “It’s just important. If they can’t get the thoughts through and their words through in English, they know they have somebody they can talk to, to get them through in their native language.”
But Reyes does more than teach the English language. She connects with families for all their needs — even if it means taking calls late at night.
She recalled one moment in her career when a student passed her a note from his mom.
“It was a piece of paper saying, ‘Help me. My husband won’t let me out of the house. He has me locked up. He hits me,’” Reyes said.
The school contacted the police, and then Reyes went to the home to help translate while police did their work. She got her student and the family out of an unsafe situation, and even put her own safety on the line when the husband would circle Reyes’ neighborhood afterward. But she wouldn’t have changed what she did.
“It’s important that she felt comfortable enough writing the note and having him bring it,” Reyes said.
Reyes continues to see families going through various challenges, especially now, with deportations increasing. She said several students are already dealing with one or both parents being deported, making it even more important to build those connections.
“They have anxiety, they’re depressed, and no kid should have to go through that,” Reyes said. “I can’t imagine being a kid, I mean, being sad and not having a mom or a dad.”
Principal Jennie Ritter said she wouldn’t be able to build the relationships she has with families without Reyes.
“She’s humble, so she would never say this about herself, but she does a lot for our families,” Ritter said. “They trust her, and that’s huge. It bridges gaps and helps people feel safe and comfortable at school, which is a huge benefit to me as a principal.”
Ritter said Reyes helped get the school’s Community Cafe, an event that brings families in for a meal and to build connections, off the ground.
“I don’t think we would have the turnout that we have without Marlo reaching out to people because it really has been word of mouth like, ‘Hey, this is what this is about. We all have gifts to offer, so how can we support each other and be like a big family community,’” Ritter said.
Reyes helped find interpreters for the event, and the majority of it is held in Spanish. Through the Community Cafe, school officials have been able to connect families with various resources.
“When we were having a lot of conversations last year about immigration, and there were parents that expressed fear, we were able to provide them with resources to help them know their rights and to help them get through these tough times,” Ritter said. “They felt safe sharing with Marlo whether they had papers or they didn’t have papers and what they needed, which I don’t think they would have felt safe with anybody else.”
Reyes is a constant presence at the school. She hosts morning announcements, which she calls Marlo’s Morning Show, and stands with Ritter outside in the mornings to welcome students to school every day.
“She’s the first person they run up to in the morning,” Ritter said. “I can be out there all day, that’s fine, but if Marlo is out there, I’m getting the second round of the kiddo hugs and high fives. The kids just, you can see them get out of the car with a huge smile, running up to her. It’s precious.”
All that work and care led to Ritter and many others in the school community nominating Reyes for a district award at their staff back-to-school assembly. The entire gymnasium cheered for her when she was announced as the winner.
Marlo Reyes received a district award for her dedication to families and the school. (Photo courtesy of Grand Island Public Schools)
“I thought my mom and dad wouldn’t be able to be here, but they were there that day. They were looking down,” Reyes said. “It was an amazing way to go out for my last year.”
Ritter said it was a well-deserved award, especially with how much Reyes does for the district.
“That was just really, really fun to see someone get the credit they deserve for, like I said, just being humble, doing the right thing and going above and beyond for our students at Grand Island Public Schools,” she said.
If there’s one lesson Reyes said she wants her students to remember after she leaves, it’s that they can do anything.
“Just to believe in themselves and really cherish their years as a kid because it goes so fast. Before you know it, they’ll be adults,” Reyes said. “Just believe in yourself, be positive, be kind, treat everybody with respect and know that they can get through it and that when I’m not here, everybody here will help them through it. They’ll have a safe place here.”
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