The Duanesburg school community is mourning the loss of kindergarten student Jacob Patino, who along with his mom, Alexandria Bustamante Gomez, was fatally injured Wednesday night.
“Even if they didn’t know Jacob personally, it’s safe to say that every single member of our school community has been deeply affected by this disturbing event,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. James Niedermeier said. “Our thoughts are with Jacob’s younger brother, Anthony, who continues to recover at Albany Medical Center.”
Jacob’s teachers described him as an extremely bright young boy who was a good friend to his peers.
“Jacob was a role model to his classmates and had the sweetest smile. He was kind, polite, and took great pride in following the classroom rules. He loved to be a helper and hold the door open for his friends when going out and coming back in from recess time,” said Rachel Woodrow, one of Jacob Patino’s teachers at Duanesburg Elementary School.
“Jacob expressed his love of reading and was proud of how many books he had at home. He always enjoyed having conversations with his teachers, and he will be greatly missed by them all,” she added.
Jacob’s kindergarten teacher, Alexandria Tedeschi, added the following:
“Jacob was a caring, and sweet young boy. He came to school every morning with a big smile on his face which was contagious. He loved being apart of the classroom community and always had a positive attitude. He took pride in his work and was a perfect role model student. He loved playing trains with his friends and sharing his toys. Our class with cherish his kindness daily and his presence will be greatly missed.”
Grief resource counselors and a psychologist have been on hand to support Jacob’s classmates as well as staff and students in the school community.
“The mental and emotional health of our staff and students will remain a priority in the coming weeks and months. I encourage anyone who is having difficulty to reach out to our counselors for support,” Niedermeier said. “We realize that it will take time for our community to come to terms with this trauma, but we are prepared to help them for as long as they need.”