Stephen Hawking once said, “Quiet people have the loudest minds.” Senior Cody Ruby couldn’t prove this statement more. Cody is the Teacher’s Assistant in the PALS room during his off hours, and he works with the PALS kids- helping them learn and assisting them with things they may need.

The way he ended up getting involved with these kids is quite the story. “He actually ended up in here by mistake. I looked at him and he looked at me and I knew he wasn’t supposed to be here,” said PALS teacher Mrs. Hopper. “But then I asked him if he wanted to stay… Now, he’s picked up a job with the district.”

According the PALS teachers, Cody is almost like a regular teacher to the kids. He not only runs errands for the teachers when needed and checks the mail, but he goes above and beyond by teaching the kids and helping do the daily things they need to accomplish. Occasionally, he does have time for homework but that’s usually overshadowed by helping the kids out.

Not only has Cody affected the kids by helping in the PALS room, but he has also had an impact on how the teachers work as well. “He has a different insight on the kids than we do. He notices things with the kids that we don’t tend to notice.” Mrs. Hopper comments on Cody’s different perspective. “Usually it’s if they need something. We can’t detect it, but Cody can.”

Cody has learned a lot from working with these kids, and even hopes to further his career in care taking. Cody even has a favorite part about working with these kids. “Learning how these kids work and how easy they really are to work with… It’s a lot of fun,” said Cody.

Cody now looks forward to the rest of the year, learning and growing with all of his newfound students.