Lamothe’s change for the better
Sophomore loving life at SRA after being bullied at old school
Life is surreal right now for Jake Lamothe, who finally can laugh again.
The bullying he suffered at the hands, insults, warped minds and devious plans of at least two individuals at his former school is over. Those actions by a pathetic few, sadly, had left him questioning the worth of his young life just a few months ago.
Thanks to his parents’ recognition of the serious problem and desire to remedy it, Jake now has discovered a new world of peace, love, kindness and acceptance at St. Raphael Academy.
The 15-year-old sophomore can walk down the hallways at SRA feeling confident in his abilities.
“It got so bad I had to transfer,” Jake stated with a grin while relaxing with his family – including mom Danielle, dad Al and kid sister Ella-Rose – at their kitchen table. “My first day at Saints was Dec. 5, and I love it! All the students were so welcoming, warm, and so was the staff.
“It’s like everybody cares about everybody. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you wear, where you come from, what you look like, everyone accepts you.
“I’m so much happier,” he added. “You have no idea what I went through, and for no reason.”
Unlike the previous three to four months, Lamothe is reveling in going to school, being in classrooms with people who actually care about him and his athletic talent. He now is competing in the sprint events for his indoor track and field team, and head coach Scott Grandfield’s guys are unbeaten in league action.
For that matter, so is Jake in his 55-meter dash specialty. He also runs the 300 meters and competes on the 4 x 200 relay, and already has qualified for the Class C and state meets.
“I’ve known ‘Coach G’ for about three years now because I ran for his club team, the Rumford Roadrunners,” Jake explained. “When he found out I had transferred to Saints, he was excited. He told me he was very happy I’d be running for him, and said, ‘What is old is now new.’ I was thrilled.”
It takes a brave young man to know when and how to change his life and chase security and happiness.
The young Lamothe’s experience in middle school had been OK, though he began to see the hate in the eyes of two boys, then with time more classmates who’d chime in to gain more popularity, when he became a freshman at the school.
The animosity wasn’t that severe in the beginning, but that changed quickly at the start of his sophomore year.
“It really kicked in in September; there were two kids, sometimes three, who’d make fun of what I was wearing or the fact I was involved in track and field,” he stated. “They would say track isn’t a real sport, not like hockey or basketball. I don’t know why they’d act that way. I guess it was, because I wasn’t friends with them, they thought they could pick on me.”
He was slapped, punched, knocked down, belittled and chased. The good news: Jake could outrun them all. In fact, according to his dad, he made history at the school last June, becoming the first freshman ever to qualify for the New Balance Interscholastic National Outdoor Track & Field Championships held in Greensboro, N.C.
The youngster finished 21st overall in the 100 dash with a time of 11.22.
Throughout September and October, Lamothe continued to have issues with bullying, neverthless, he never spoke to his parents about the issues at school.
“I think he believed that, if he told us, the situation wouldn’t get better, so he kept it to himself,” his mother recalled. “It wouldn’t get any better.”
“It got to the point where he didn’t want to go to school anymore. He was miserable. We could tell there was something seriously wrong going on.,” Danielle said.
“It got so bad, and this is no exaggeration, there were days before school he’d actually throw up. He didn’t want to go to school anymore.”
Interrupted Al: “The breaking point for me was … I don’t know if I can go on. I’m getting too emotional.”
“We found something in his backpack around Halloween, and it concerned us to no end; it seemed to be a letter written to God,” she said sadly. “It basically had him saying, ‘Why me, God? How long do I have to endure this?’ We were so upset and scared. That’s when Al and I said, ‘That’s it! Enough is enough!’
Exactly five days after Halloween, on Sunday, Nov. 5 – Danielle knew the exact date because her beloved New England Patri- ots had a bye that day – the three Lamothes attended the SRA Open House.
“We figured we’d go and get a feel for it,” Danielle stated. “I liked the school from the start. As an adult, you can tell when kids genuinely get along, and it was more than evident with all the teens who volunteered. We were sitting in the theater (aka the old gym) and Jake leaned over to me, ‘This is where I want to be!’
“We knew at that point we had to whatever was necessary to enroll him there,” she added. “He was so unhappy, so depressed, so moody.”
Jake didn’t hide his emotions about his parents’ exciting plan for him.
“When they told me, I jumped at it right away,” he beamed. “I had previously felt like I was trapped under water, and – when I was told I could change schools – it was like I burst through the surface and could breathe again.”
In mid-November, he applied to the institution known affectionately as “St. Ray’s,” and he and his parents went for an interview. In attendance, as always, were Principal Daniel Richard; Director of Admissions Michelle Carrara; Vice Principal of Academics Judy Baxter; and Guidance Director Michael Janicki.
“It was a phenomenal interview; they all asked Jake a lot of great questions, like what classes he was interested in taking,” his mom grinned. “I know Mr. Richard asked him if he was an athlete, and Jake told him he ran track. They were really nice and seemed to embrace him.”
Jake Lamothe had found a new home, but one problem remained. He had represented the Wizards’ JV football team in the fall and was soon to commit to the school’s indoor track squad. As a transfer to a different school between seasons, he would need to petition R.I. Interscholastic League officials for a waiver to compete for his new school.
Given his circumstance, it was granted quickly.
According to Jake, his grades have improved from primarily Bs and Cs to As and high Bs.
“Within the last week or two, I talked to him one day over the phone; he was home and I was at work, so I asked him how his school day had gone,” Danielle chuckled. “He told me, ‘It was hard!’ and I said, ‘Wow!’ That’s the first time you ever said that to me!’ School had always been so easy for him. It was so nice to see he was finally being challenged academically.
“When I told him that, he just said, ‘Thanks, Mom’ like only a teen-age boy would.”
She also stated how proud her dad, Pawtucket’s own Dan Driscoll, was that, on warmer days this winter and later this spring, Jake would be training on the Pariseau Field oval next to McCoy Stadium.
“My dad used to run on that track, and so did his father,” she said proudly. “He’s thrilled his grandson is there.”
Danielle also mentioned the switch has not come without some hardship.
“Everyone in our family is feeling the effects of his transfer to St. Ray’s,” she noted. “We received some financial aid, but not a lot, so we still have to make some sacrifices. But I will say it’s more than worth it. We’ve never seen our son so happy. He’s thriving now.”
Chimed in father Al: “You know, I’m a certified coach through the Rhode Island Department of Education, and you need that certification if you want to coach any activity at a public school here, so I’m lucky enough to be a varsity assistant under Scott Grandfield. I’m at practice a few times a week and at meets.
“I’ve had the opportunity to see Jake and how he interacts with all of the other student-athletes,” he continued. “I have to tell you it’s very impressive; they treat him like they’ve known him for years, since first grade. I see the horse play, the joking around, the teamwork, the camaraderie.
“My son has become a new person.”