Paul the Policeman

Ask 7-year-old Launch student Paul Bruton his dream job, and he’ll be quick to reply with both his what and his why. “I want to be a police officer because they tell everybody what to do,” Paul says. “And I like that they protect us.”

Now going into first grade, Paul started learning with Launch his Kindergarten year due to a chronic kidney disease. “I really liked learning online last year, especially when we got to play games,” Paul says. “I like when we go into breakout rooms.”

Paul also took advantage of Launch’s field trip opportunities last year—he visited both the History Museum on the Square and the Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield. “We got to feed the giraffes lettuce, and they tried to eat us!,” Paul says. And while he’s excited that he’s now in first grade, he’s even more excited for a trip he and his family are going on later this year thanks to the Make a Wish Foundation. “We get to go to Disney World in December!,” Paul says.