By Linda Jacobson, Image: Courtesy of Staci Boehlke, The 74, May 16, 2022
On a rainy Monday before winter break, the hallways at Fruit Valley Elementary School in Vancouver, Washington, were unusually quiet. The pandemic had cut enrollment nearly in half, but that didn’t deter Staci Boehlke, who runs the school’s resource center.
She welcomed police officers into the colorful, light-filled space as they dropped off bags of donated toys. She spoke with a parent whose landlord sent a warning about late rent. And after recess, she found dry socks and shoes for a kindergartner who couldn’t resist stomping through puddles on the playground.
That’s why Boehlke, petite in jeans with faded knees and pink Converse sneakers, shows up every day — to offer a sense of stability to students whose homes can be turbulent, ensuring they never feel overlooked as she did as a child.
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