Ryder, I taught you in Grade 1 and 2. Even then, you were indeed very caring, thoughtful, curious, and wise beyond your years. Your big blue eyes and smile always warmed my heart. I remember when you wrote a descriptive paragraph about a Gruffalo, then recorded yourself reading your writing onto a Voki, which you had designed. You were so excited when you saw and heard it on the Smartboard. When I came back to the school for a visit, you were in Grade 8. When you saw me at the door, you rushed out of the room and asked for a hug. I was delighted to see that you still had your big heart despite being so much bigger than I had remembered you. I am so sorry I didn't know you were sick, or I would have done anything I could to add brightness to your days as you did to mine every day I taught you. My sincere condolences to your family. They raised a wonderful boy. I pray he is now in peace and without pain. I also pray this memory brings you a smile. Rest in peace, beautiful boy. Sincerely, Mrs. Standish
I can’t believe Ryder is gone so soon. We used to video call all the time, I never thought I’d miss his terrible camera quality. During my time with Ryder in cadets, he was always trying to make people laugh. He was such a caring and funny guy, always looking out for people around him. My condolences to his family and friends, miss you Kelly ♥️
Ryder was always such an awesome kid to have a class and we would always have great banter and lots of laughs. He reminded me a lot of myself at his age...except his hair was way cooler than mine. I remember in Horton's manufacturing class he made this huge Thor-esque hammer he lugged around to my class one day and we joked about how we would pity whomever tried to jump him on the way home. I'll really miss that smirk of his every day in class but am thankful for all the time I got to spend with him. He made me a better teacher. He made me love my job. And he made me a better person. And I think he did that for a lot of people in his life. He will be greatly missed.
