GMS student gets a long-distance surprise

By: 
Nathan Oster

A seventh grader at Greybull Middle School received a pleasant surprise on the eight-month anniversary of his father’s death.

Students in Mrs. Kate Decker’s class were recently assigned to write “swag letters” to their favorite companies. Xsavier Garay chose the Brooklyn Cloth Company for a very personal reason.  His father, Yuyo, loved its clothing, and when he died unexpectedly on April 9, 2022, a lot of it got passed down to Xsavier.

One of Xsavier personal favorites is a black bandana hoodie which he wears to school nearly every day.  He told the company in his letter, “The hoodie makes me happy wearing it and it and it reminds me of my dad.”

Xsavier was wearing it on Friday, Dec. 9 when he was summoned to the office.  Four large boxes from the Brooklyn Cloth Company had arrived at the school.  Three were addressed to Xsavier, the fourth to his classmates.  Each was filled with T-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, hats and bandanas.

Along with all the merchandise came a letter from Brooklyn Cloth, addressed to Xsavier.  “We received your letter and we were very touched and honored to be part of this special memory of your dad,” it read. “We sent you a little something!”

Xsavier’s classmates smiled and cheered when they were informed of the free swag by Principal Cadance Wipplinger, Mrs. Decker, Xsavier and his mother Marcella.  Wipplinger’s message to the students was a simple one: “Your words are powerful and can produce wonderful results if used in a positive manner.”

Marcella said she was proud of her son.

“It’s been a really hard year for us,” she said.  “But I’m glad we live here.  Everyone has been so kind with us, always wanting to help.  The school … the people … everyone.”