Des Moines first graders process pain of classmate’s death with paint

DES MOINES, Iowa — Jacob Deleon was friendly, funny and a first grade student at Oak Park Elementary in Des Moines.

“He always had like the biggest smile and always would walk down the ramp, look into the classroom and smile and then run to go put his backpack away and come back into class,” said Jacob’s first-grade teacher Makayla Brophy.

Jacob’s classmate Randi Paddock reflected on one of Jacob’s favorite games the two played together. “Well, I remember that we always play tag.”

Oak Park Elementary art teacher Lauren Williams recalled what the young student loved to draw most. “He was very into rocket ships. He wanted to go into space and be an astronaut. He was very into planets.”

This past October Jacob was vacationing with family in Guatemala and suddenly an undiagnosed and rare heart condition took his life. Ms. Brophy remembers receiving that news in the fall. She said, “Shock mainly. Once the kids found out it was a little bit more of a process that we could go through together.”

Brophy teamed with Williams for a colorful outlet for kids to channel their grief and it provided a rainbow of emotions. Williams said, “Teachers wear a lot of hats. We teach kids to read and write and do math but we also teach them how to be human beings, how to deal with big feelings, How to navigate hard situations.”

Jacob’s classmates, like Randi, made a book where they drew portraits of Jacob and scenes that reminded them of their friend. “We had him with us and we still keep stuff with us from memories,” said Randi.

Many teachers and students have wristbands designed by Jacob’s parents reading “I am free,” and “You are my friend.” Brophy said, “His favorite color was blue. That’s why the bracelets are blue. He kind of just loved life where he was in the moment.”

His desk inside Ms. Brophy’s classroom and even his favorite spot to sit have been memorialized. “I just think about like his smile and the way he loved coming to school each and every day. He would always give a big hug at the end of day and be like, see you tomorrow,” said Brophy.

The tributes extend outside the classroom and into the hallway where Jacob’s locker remains accessible to students to place artwork done to remember him. Williams said, “He’s not just something that they’re thinking about alone. To be able to share him with the community and other people so that they feel like he’s honored is probably one of the more important things that I’ve done as a teacher.”

The community has lifted up these first graders and more of their work is on display nearby at The Slowdown Coffee Co. located in the same Oak Park-Highland Park Neighborhood as the school. “It’s so important. This is his community and the community of our students and us,” said Williams.

The mosaic-style art that is on display at the coffee shop helps share Jacob’s personality with the community where he lived and went to school. “You see how it felt to know him and that’s really important to them,” Williams said.

A school, a classroom, a community giving life to the memory of a seven-year-old. Randi said, “It makes me feel happy that we get to have memories and show other people.”

The artwork will be on display at The Slowdown Coffee Co. through the end of April.

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