4 minute read
Gunner St. Romain Student Spotlight
Gunner ST. ROMAIN S T U D E N T S P O T L I G H T
If you have had the pleasure of spending any amount of time with Gunner St. Romain, then you are well aware that he has always been a happy boy who is full of life! Just being around him for five minutes will instantly lift anyone’s spirits, and his story is one of perseverance and pure joy for the life he has been given.
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When he was born, his parents, T.J. and Tennille, were surprised to learn that he had Down Syndrome. He was born seven weeks early and only weighed 4.8 pounds. As a result, he spent the first four weeks of his life in the NICU. Although it was a shock to see their son go through so much at a young age, T.J. and Tennille wanted nothing but the best for him.
“When someone has a baby that is born ‘imperfect,’ many people don’t know what to say. It’s a hard situation to navigate,” Tennille said. “I shed some tears, but not because Gunner had a diagnosis. The tears were shed because people felt sorry for us. I have never judged people for things they said to me because I knew they were in uncharted waters.”
Tennille added, “After discussing this with my mother, she told me that when people tell her that they are sorry, she would just reply, ‘Why? We’re not.’ From that moment on, that was my response also. When your child is born with a diagnosis, most people look at them and see the diagnosis, and then the baby. Eventually, that changes, and the child is seen first.”
And everyone has SEEN and is inspired by Gunner – from his friends and people in the community to his very own family who love him dearly. He has two younger brothers, Grayson (a sophomore at Argyle High School),
and Garrison (an eighth-grader at the middle school). When his brothers were born, Tennille said that he was given the two best friends that anyone could ask for. His brothers are kind, loving, and supportive of him.
The St. Romain family moved to Argyle the summer before Gunner’s freshman year. Gunner is now a senior and is regularly involved in anything he can get his hands on while still being a dedicated honor roll student. He’s been a trainer for three years with the football and baseball teams. During that stretch, he’s also been an active member of The Young Men’s Service League as well as competing in Special Olympics for bowling, basketball, and track. He’s earned several medals and awards in Special Olympics, and the highlight of his high school career was when he was crowned homecoming king!
“He loved all of the love and attention he received,” Tennille said.
When asked what his favorite part of the day is, Gunner always says the chance to be around people. He likes learning all of the academic lessons, but his favorite lessons are more hands-on. He loves the integration of the yoga lessons, cooking on Fridays, taking and delivering Sonic drink orders for the staff, and working in the garden area at the high school. He will continue learning job training skills after he graduates this year, but he will be able to stay at the high school until he is 21.
Gunner is planning to work at Chick-fil-A at Southlake and Chick-fil-A at N. Tarrant Pkwy. & Davis Blvd. where his dad is the owner and operator. He also enjoys working at the family ranch and will continue to learn new skills there.
The bottom line is that Gunner is an absolute joy, and we are all very lucky to have him in our life. He never misses an opportunity to roll the car window down to tell someone bye again. He never sees someone without waving, smiling, and most likely hugging them. And for all of those reasons, it is no surprise that Gunner St. Romain was chosen to be featured on the cover of the Argyle ISD Insights Magazine for the Fall/Spring issue.
He is a true reflection of Argyle ISD and what it means to be an Argyle Eagle.
GUNNER LOVES SCHOOL. WHEN ASKED WHAT HIS FAVORITE
PART OF THE DAY IS, HE WOULD SAY BEING AROUND PEOPLE. I THINK IT IS FAIR TO SAY THAT GUNNER LOVES EVERYONE!
