Day 26: The Mayor

Some day I'll learn to take better cell phone photos...

How does she do it?  Is it some magic potion?  A spell?  How does she manage to captivate and endear herself to nearly every person with whom she comes into contact?  It's pretty mesmerizing to watch, the endless stream of students of all ages and teachers moving past her as they rush to their classes, all calling out, "Hi, Sammi!" or, "Hey, Samantha!  Samantha!  Over here!"  Sometimes she acknowledges them with a big smile and a cheery hello, along with their name, sometimes she dismisses them with a casual wave and an unsmiling "oh, hi."  I think those are the ones whose names have escaped her.

Some of her teachers call her the Mayor of the school.  I understand that.  And, while it makes some tiny alarm bells go off in my head about stereotypes (I'm sure I've heard many other stories of children with Down syndrome or other disabilities being labeled the "mayor" of their school, but that extra chromosome seriously does include that "social" gene...), I am grateful for it.  There's a sense of safety and protection from her peers ingrained in the title, as evidenced by the behaviors of those around her.  Knowing that those children will be there for her throughout grade school, the older ones to be upper classmen when she enters the dreaded middle school years, ready to have her back, the teachers of upcoming grades who are already familiar with her and ready to greet her into their classrooms when the time comes...

And so, while there's no campaigning to do now, the title honorarily bestowed upon her, it may be a sign of things to come.  Next stop, student council...?  Buckingham Palace to hold court?  Okay, so I jump ahead a bit.  One step at a time, right?