A touching act of friendship nearly made a school administrator cry.
Buffalo, New York Buffalo Creek Academy, a charter school whose pupils are directed by four principles, is located in the center of the Old First Ward.
Dean of Culture Bryant Brown Jr. said that students at the grade 5–8 school on South Park Avenue are taught to have “leadership, integrity, focus, and excellence” as important life skills.
Every day, students walk through a main hallway of the building and see signs that talk about these values.
Two students in the seventh grade who are the closest of friends are Romello Early and Melvin Anderson.
Melvin had been going to school with shoes that were falling apart, which made other kids laugh when they saw him.
“I could tell it upset him,” Romello said, even though Melvin tried to hide that. “It made my stomach hurt so bad to see someone have to go through that and be picked on because of how they look.”
Romello wanted to do something about it.
“I had saved up my allowance, so I asked my mom to take me to the shoe store to buy Melvin some shoes, and the following day I came and gave them to him,” Romello said.
Melvin wore the new Nike sneakers that his friend gave him and said, “I really appreciate what he did for me.” “I’m doing chores at home to earn money so I can try to pay back him for what he did for me.”
Romello claims there is no need for payback.
He turned to his buddy and said, “You don’t have to pay me back.” “I just wanted to give you that.”
Melvin put his arm around Romello and said, “Right here, this is my man.”
Mr. Brown said, “When Romello did this with his allowance money, it made me feel so good that I almost cried.”
Even though the two boys are close, they are an unlikely pair.
Melvin is quiet and shy, while Romello is friendly and likes to talk to people. Even though Melvin and his friend are about the same age, Melvin is about a foot taller than his friend.
Romello, who is 4 feet, 6 inches tall, said, “At my old school, I was teased about my height in every grade.” “And that made me think that no one else should have to feel the way I did.” Brown says he hopes Romello’s kind act will spread throughout the school and beyond.
He said, “We have a good thing going on here at Buffalo Creek Academy, and I think it might spread.”