DeLima takes message of support all the way to Town Hall

Jacqueline Kent, the art teacher at Johnston’s Nicholas A. Ferri Middle School, may have had the most unique distance learning lesson in the state during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

Each week, Kent gives 400 Ferri students in grades six through eight many different ideas they could produce at home.

“They could choose any project they’d like,” Kent was saying the other day. “One of the project ideas was to make a heart or series of hearts to honor health care workers that I discovered on Instagram, where people from all over the country were displaying hearts in their windows as a special show of support for health care workers.”

While many students made countless collections of hearts, Kent wanted it known that Nicholas DeLima – a 13-year-old eighth-grader – “went above and beyond to make such an extra larger poster.”

The son of Michael and Anita DeLima, Nick started his project cutting out hearts to display on windows at the family’s home in Johnston.

That later evolved into also making a special sign for the front yard that would include a salute to first responders because he was well aware of their efforts. His father is a Rhode Island sheriff.

When it came time to display the sign, the DeLimas thought it would have a wider viewing audience if it were actually set up on Hartford Avenue.

“We called Mayor [Joseph] Polisena’s office to get permission to post it near Johnston War Memorial Park,” said Anita DeLima, who is a health and physical education teacher at Middletown High School. “The mayor said he had a better place – in front of Town Hall – and before long Nicholas was meeting with the mayor about the sign and project.”

After offering Nicholas DeLima a heartfelt congratulations and handshake inside his Town Hall Executive Chamber, Polisena said with excitement ringing in his voice: “What a great project; we are all proud of what you have done to honor all health care workers as well as our first responders.”

With DeLima’s proud parents looking on and listening with smiles on their faces, Polisena quickly added: “Nicholas, this is an ‘A’ project; please tell your teacher I said she’d better give you an A!”

Soon thereafter, Polisena and the DeLimas went outside Town Hall where Michael DeLima placed the sign in front of Johnston’s digital message sign as Polisena looked on.

“I want to tell you again how proud we are of you, Nicholas,” Polisena offered. “Please keep up the great work.”

To which Kent later offered, upon learning of the brief yet heart-warming ceremony: “I am also so proud that Nicholas’ work is displayed in front of Town Hall; I’m also happy he was recognized for his hard work and creativity.”