Honouring Emily: The Lasting Impact of a Remarkable Student

With an air of confidence and comfortability, a young Emily Frizzle flips through a series of flashcards to share her silent poem about her journey to Rundle Academy and its impact on her life.

"At my old school, I felt like I was the only kid that wasn't smart enough," the grade 6 student's poem begins, written colourfully across four cards. "I was the only one that got easy spelling words. Everyone wanted to know why, but I didn't say. ... I didn't want to tell them that it is because of a learning disability."

At home, her parents, Chad and Isabelle, were witnessing first hand Emily’s struggles with reading and reading comprehension.

“We started noticing it as soon as she started having to do homework in grade 1. It just got harder each year,” recalls Chad.

“School was really stressful for her. She didn't like doing exams, studying, homework—any of it,” adds Isabelle. “We'd do homework with her and we'd really try to help, but almost every night would still end in tears.”

A formal learning disability diagnosis opened up options for the Frizzle family. Before Emily’s grade 5 year, her parents learned about Rundle Academy.

After touring the Academy, her parents saw the school as a place where Emily could get the academic support she needed, learn to advocate for herself, and be part of a tight knit community. It was a school where Emily could thrive. It was everything that she needed.

“It was a school with more help,” is how Emily succinctly described the Academy in her silent poem.

The change was almost immediate.

“She loved the school, she loved the small classes, her teachers were great, she loved the kids she was with. And then because it’s a small community, she got involved with everything,” Isabelle says.

Emily took part in volleyball, track and field, and basketball, where she found her passion, and quickly took on a leadership role touring prospective families around the Academy.

“She completely took off once she got into Rundle,” says Chad.

She learned the tools to be successful with a learning disability. Without the additional stress of an unsupported learning disability, Emily was able to be herself.

“She really valued school. She really wanted to do well in school,” says Maya Robinson, who joined the Academy in grade 7 and instantly became close friends with Emily. “She had a way of making people gravitate towards her. Even when I barely knew her, I felt comfortable enough to be myself around her.”

“She owned her learning disability and did whatever was necessary to be successful. She was open-minded, she was tenacious, she owned what she struggled with and tried to go above it,” says Ms. Shilo Vesey, Emily’s ELA teacher. “When she came here though, she had this gratitude towards school and to the teachers for how powerful she felt because she was finally able to show her brilliance as a student.”

Emily passed away suddenly on April 16, 2021, at the age of 14 from Arteriovenous malformation (AVM), an undetected medical issue. She was in grade 9 at the Academy.

‘’She was such a bright person,” says friend Annika Simpson. “Her smile was so bright. She really just had such a significant impact on everyone.”

“There’s certain values that she brought to our class that we were missing after her passing,” adds friend Camryn Mayhew. “She was very calming and reassuring. She always gave you peace of mind, and I wish that was still here.”

It wasn’t just her classmates who immediately felt Emily’s absence at Rundle Academy.

“Her kind spirit and her inclusive nature and thoughtfulness to other people will never be forgotten. She was that way all the time, and it was noticeable when she was no longer there," says Mr. Chris Paz, Emily’s TA. "Her memory is not forgotten. I think that her legacy of being a tremendous young woman, a tremendous worker, and ultimately just a kind, good person, will live on here at the Academy forever."

As part of the Building Futures campaign, her friends in the Class of 2024 — Emily's graduation class — spearheaded an initiative to raise money to ensure her legacy fully lives on at the Academy by naming a new classroom in her honour.

“Her friends were the ones who brought that idea to us. She had an impact on them, and I know they had a huge impact on her,” says Isabelle. “They are committed to keeping her memory alive in so many ways; we think this naming opportunity is fantastic.”

A classroom named for Emily Frizzle and the Class of 2024 will allow students and teachers for decades to come to understand and celebrate the spirit she brought to Rundle Academy every day—simply by being herself.

“Emily was a ball of sunshine. She always prioritized quality time and being kind. She really wanted to live in the moment and have fun,” says Caitlyn, Emily’s older sister. “She was amazing, hardworking, athletic; I think she wanted to be known for trying her hardest. She was capable of so many things.”

“She was funny, she was sassy. She was such a unique person and so fun to be around,” says Maya. “She made a real difference in so many people’s lives. She was just a really good person.”

As Emily flips to the final cards of her silent poem, it’s evident that she, too, understood how being at the Academy allowed her true self to shine.

“When I went to Rundle Academy I felt like I had more help. I felt like I was in the right level as everyone. I started to be more like myself. And you should be more like yourself, too.”