I am writing this email to express my personal support and experience of Lele Te’o as an educator, coach and youth mentor.
Lele has been an integral part of my son’s life, who is now a senior at Juanita, since my son was in the 7th grade at Kamiakin Junior High. As a staff member at the junior high, I found Lele to be a committed and open educator who shared his wisdom and mentorship with my son in a way that found him to become a trusted and respected authority figure. Many times over my son’s attendance at Kamiakin Lele was there to guide when times got hard with his peers or with school work. Lele’s messages was not always what my son wanted to hear but were much needed and delivered with such respect, care and concern that they were heard and understood by my teenage boy, not an easy accomplishment. It was largely Lele’s support, encouragement and guidance that kept my son on track through his junior high years.
As a football coach, I have witnessed Lele’s unconditional commitment to his team. No matter what time of the year, Lele has been a rock of wisdom and guidance my son and his friends. It has been Lele who has gotten up each morning and motivated my son to get to early morning workouts. These workouts not only bonded my son to his team and school community but ensured he was at school each morning, something that has been a huge struggle for me at times over the years. When my son has had struggles with his grades it has been Lele who has called my son, encouraging him not to give up, offering to help and reminding him to reach out to his teachers and teammates to get back on track. As a coach I have watched him lead my son and his teammates with discipline, respect and caring that has been unmatched by any other coach my son has had in his 17 years of sports.
Both my son and I know that Lele has strong convictions and expectations of his students to follow the rules, but also that he is fair and will help guide his students if they lose their way. Lele has gone over and above his job as an educator and is a true youth mentor. He has often spent his own personal time ensuring that my son and other students know he cares and is there to support them however he can. If it was not for Lele’s mentorship, I can honestly say I am not certain my son would still be in school. Each time my son has tried to give up, feeling like no one cares, Lele has stepped up to be that person who gives my son someone at school to believe and trust in.
As a parent I trust and respect Lele more than any educator or authority figure who has ever touched my child’s life. I have witness this same care given to other students in my son’s class and also to one of our close family friends who is a current eighth grader at Kamiakin Middle School. This girl looks up to Lele as a role model, mentor and coach, and she has felt a huge loss, great sadness as well as much confusion about why he has not been at school.
His presence is greatly needed and very much missed by the students, football players and parents of Kamiakin and Juanita. It is a great loss to Kirkland youth ever day that Lele is missing from his jobs in the Lake Washington School District.
Alisha White, Kirkland
