Series Seven: Quotes Spoken Best from Dever Parents, Teachers, Students, and Community Members

 

🌟 Series Seven: Quotes Spoken Best from Dever Parents, Teachers, Students, and Community Members

This bonus section is our way of honoring the words that carried us through the closure campaign.



🏫 Community & Belonging

“The Dever community is truly united. It has a lot of humanity.”
— Yanery Diaz, parent
Testimony to the emotional bonds between families, staff, and students.

“Our biggest concern is that our community could be splintered — and that’s not what we want.”
— Cheryl Buckman, parent
Expressing the fear of losing a place that brings people together.

“Families, students, educators, and community leaders came together because we believed children deserve better than to be cast aside in the name of ‘rightsizing.’”
— Community reflection on Dever’s proposed closure
Dever was more than a school — it was a shared mission.

“It was almost like destiny was guiding me to the right place.”
— Edzna Vázquez, parent

“It’s not fair. Where do we go now?”
— Jean Matthews, parent
Reflecting on her 3rd-grade son losing the teachers and friends he knows.

🌍 Inclusion, Safety & Support

“He was focused, he was learning more, he was having fun in school.”
— Cheryl Buckman, on her son’s transformation at Dever
A heartfelt reminder of the support Dever gave to diverse learners, especially those with special needs.

“Dever has maintained a consistently positive learning environment; strong relationships among stakeholders.”
— MA Department of Elementary & Secondary Education, 2023 review

“This school means education. My mom chose this school because there are no bullies. They have a zero tolerance for bullying.”
— Ryan, Dever student

“Before she used to feel very scared or anxious about math … but now she adores math. It’s her favorite class.”
— Edzna Vázquez, on her daughter

“Our schools are a lifeline for these students, and BPS claims to stand with immigrants and their families.”
— Nicole Livingstone, Dever teacher

📚 Student Growth & Classroom Culture

“One word comes to mind to describe my students: eager. They are focused, motivated, and willing to share their ideas and confusions… ‘Without failure, there is no growth.’”
— Dever teacher via DonorsChoose
Captures the growth mindset Dever encouraged every day.

“My son has done wonderful things here; he learned his passion for music.”
— Anthuanet Bobato, parent

“The old narratives of dysfunction didn’t fit anymore.”
— Cheryl Buckman, reflecting on Dever’s progress
A school transformed — proof that Dever rewrote its story.

“We got so close to getting out of [receivership]. Such hard work was done, and all that just for this — a closure.”
— Cheryl Buckman

💪 Advocacy & Resilience

“Dever is the best!”
— Chanted by students and families at a rally
Simple, powerful, and proud — the community’s voice in one sentence.

“Don’t close our school.”
— Seen on posters and heard in student voices

“I think they should change their minds.”
— Zasha, second grader

“I don’t think it’s fair what they did because the school is close to our home. Other schools are far away. The school is really good because of the supervisors and teachers. They help me a lot.”
— Yahir, 4th grader

“I hope [the School Committee] would have the courage and actually listen to families and educators who have poured their hearts out about the impacts this will have and how their communities will be affected.”
— Suleika Soto, organizer

“It’s just really, really difficult to see the rationale behind what BPS is doing when you don’t have the long‑term vision and data to work with.”
— Krista Magnuson, advocate

🕊️ Legacy & Final Words

“You may close the Dever’s building, but you cannot close its legacy.”
— Spoken at the July 9, 2025 School Committee meeting
A powerful reminder: buildings may close, but the impact lives on.

💙 Stay Tuned for the Final Chapter

In our next and final post, we’ll reflect on what comes next. Even as the Dever closes its doors, the movement it inspired continues. The values we fought for — equity, inclusion, community — aren’t bound by walls.

Their legacy lives in every student, parent, teacher, and community member they touched.

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