Every day our students are learning, growing, and showing all the amazing things they can do. For Nicolas, a fourth-grader at AF Bridgeport Academy Elementary, that means progressing so much in ELA that he improved by TWO levels on the most recent state test! We sat down with Nicolas to learn more about all that he’s done and all that he will do next. Tell us about yourself. What do you like to do in school and outside of school? I love Marvel, and my older brother and I love playing with Marvel Legos, especially the lava monster from Spider-Man Far From Home. My favorite part of school is math—especially fractions and equations. I use math outside of school too, like when we ordered pizza. My brother told me how many slices there are, and I saw that there were twelve twelfths, and I knew that each of us could get three slices. That's awesome! How do you feel about growing so much in ELA? I am really surprised, I had no idea. I never knew that I was able to do it! When I was younger, I wasn’t good at literature, everything seemed hard. But now, it kind of feels easy. The teacher helps us, and I’m paying attention more. I read, and then I read again, and I do “the jots.” That means while I’m reading, I write down the character, the motivation, the problem, the solution, and the lesson learned—if it’s fiction. If it’s nonfiction, I write down the topic and the point of view. That helps me understand it better. That’s impressive! What advice do you have for younger students who are having trouble with what they’re learning? I would tell them to never give up, because in the future, you could be better. That’s great advice. Now, what do you like most about literature and writing? I really like to read Marvel comic books. I like learning what happens to the characters. We’re noticing a theme here. What’s next for you? What do you want to be when you grow up? In the future, I want to write my own comic books and have someone else draw the pictures. We can’t wait to read them. Thank you for talking with us, Nicolas! We are so proud of you.