A story about an octopus whose tentacles represent the qualities one needs to overcome adversity brought joy to students at Maywood Academy. 

Jennifer Hendricks-Fogg, an author and motivational speaker—whose son, Logan, attends Maywood— visited the school for an interactive storytime. She read her latest book, Ocho the Brave Octopus, which was inspired by true events. The story follows Logan as he confronts feelings of fear and loneliness during an extended hospital stay. 

“When Logan was in the hospital diagnosed with cancer, someone gave him a crocheted octopus and it became his comfort companion,” she said. “I have an Ocho on my desk at home. It’s just so comforting and calming, and the more I read this story the more passionate I am about it. It’s a good reminder that we all have these skills within us, and a little octopus can remind us of that.” 

Students at Maywood Academy have diverse needs and abilities. Ocho the Brave Octopus reinforces many of the lessons they learn everyday, including the value of friendship, patience, self-regulation, and resilience.  In addition to the fun-filled yet calming reading, students in Special Education teachers Peter Riley, Michael Montague and Amanda Silva’s classes were also given their very own Ocho the Octopus to take home. 

“Bringing a real life author into our building is a great experience for our students,” said Maywood Academy Principal Gabriele Barbato. “It really helped that this author happens to be one of our parents who is very understanding of our population.” 

Montague said his students enjoyed the  “very inspirational” story. Silva, who is Logan’s teacher, agreed. 

“It was such an amazing experience to have Logan’s mom read to the class,” said Silva. “The lessons of this story are about overcoming challenges, perseverance, and finding strength. This is something that all of our students can relate to, since every one of them walks through our doors with unique challenges. It’s also a great story to help staff understand the students’ perspective.”