A gift for a gifted kid

GRANITE FALLS — In 21 years of teaching elementary school music, Jenny Price never has had a student quite like Drew Bielaczyc.

Her colleagues at Mountain Way Elementary School in Granite Falls describe a quirky kid who is both charming and vexing and certainly brilliant beyond his 10 years.

When Drew was 3, he would walk around the house mumbling something his parents couldn’t distinguish. Finally, they realized their son had read, memorized and was reciting a paragraph from the side of a toothpaste tube.

Drew is different than his peers in many ways, but his parents have no plans to get a diagnosis that could lead to a label. They have heard suggestions that he could have a high-functioning form of autism known as Asperger syndrome, but they choose to let Drew be Drew.

Elementary school for their second child is as much about learning how to fit into society as it is academic lessons. While he earned perfect scores on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills in the second grade, he faced much greater challenges figuring out how to work with a group of his peers.

“Schoolwork is easy; people are not,” said his mother, Kim Bielaczyc.

The boy who solves a Rubik’s Cube in less than four minutes can become a spigot of anxiety and tears without warning.

More than once, Price has had to tell the boy who often tried her patience to “turn off the waterworks. It’s not going to work on me.”

Two weeks ago, it finally did.

Price had arranged for fifth-graders who are learning to play the violin to perform for the Granite Falls School Board. Afterward, students were asked what they liked most about playing the violin.

Drew gave a passionate, heart-felt answer that ended with him wishing he had a violin of his own. His mom had been trolling the classified Web site Craigslist, but a violin wasn’t in the family budget.

The next morning, a staff member asked Price about Drew and if he really did want a violin. Price told her she believed he did. A week later, on Feb. 24, Price called Drew out of class and had him come to the office. She handed him the anonymous gift of a new violin that he cradled in his arms. They shared a happy cry.

“When I saw it, I was just like, ‘Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God,’ ” Drew said. “I couldn’t help but cry. I was so thankful.”

“What a beautiful moment Drew gave me,” Price said.

The plan is for Drew to get private violin lessons, but he’s not one to wait. He’s exploring the strings and sheet music on his own.

“I squeezed in the national anthem before I went to school,” Drew said the other day.

Kim Bielaczyc knows her son will face many challenges ahead.

He is a child who can fold dozens of beautiful origami shapes he has memorized from books, but he didn’t lose the training wheels on his bike until he was 8.

His parents kept him in a second-grade classroom for academically gifted students for two years because it was the right fit and then had him skip to fourth grade because they felt it was where he would perform best.

Last year, Drew was called up to a fifth-grade math class and grew furious with teacher Tracy Land when she introduced her students to pi.

“I could not grasp the concept of a number being infinite,” he now explains with a smile.

“He has matured so much,” Land said.

Kim Bielaczyc celebrates the social steps her son is making and the fact that his teachers and classmates have been so supportive.

“So many have been so compassionate. They understand he is a little different but he has come out of his shell so much,” she said. “When they see the good side, they fall in love with him.”

Bielaczyc said she was blindsided by the gift of her son’s beloved violin.

“I never in a million years expected what happened to happen,” she said. “It’s a godsend. He doesn’t put it down. Finally there’s something to get him off the darned computer.”

Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com.

More online

Mountain Way Elementary School music teacher Jenny Price tells the story in a blog entry of how the gift of a violin to one of her students made a difference in his and her life. The blog is at http://tinyurl.com/giftofdrew.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Customers enter and exit the Costco on Dec. 2, 2022, in Lake Stevens. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Costco stores could be impacted by looming truck driver strike threat

Truck drivers who deliver groceries and produce to Costco warehouses… Continue reading

Two Washington State ferries pass along the route between Mukilteo and Clinton as scuba divers swim near the shore Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ferry system increases ridership by a half million in 2024

Edmonds-Kingston route remains second-busiest route in the system.

Jasmine Donahue talks about being a place for people leave messages when looking for family members, friends or loved ones on the street on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett extends deadline for homeless service facing closure

Hope ‘N Wellness must now comply with city zoning laws by April 30. The organization is “grateful,” its owner said, but still hopes for a permanent solution.

New Greater Everett Chamber of Commerce CEO CEO Wendy Poischbeg speaks at a kick off event on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Everett Rising’: Wednesday’s chamber luncheon to showcase a new era of growth.

The Greater Everett Chamber of Commerce is beginning its efforts… Continue reading

The Edmonds School District building on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 in Lynnwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds School District faces estimated $8.5 million deficit

The shortfall is lower than previous years, but the effects are “cumulative,” Superintendent Rebecca Miner said.

Robin Cain with 50 of her marathon medals hanging on a display board she made with her father on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Running a marathon is hard. She ran one in every state.

Robin Cain, of Lake Stevens, is one of only a few thousand people to ever achieve the feat.

People line up to grab food at the Everett Recovery Cafe on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Coffee, meals and compassion are free at the Everett Recovery Cafe

The free, membership-based day center offers free coffee and meals and more importantly, camaraderie and recovery support.

Hundreds rally against Trump on Presidents Day in Everett

People lined Broadway with signs and flags, similar to other protests across the country.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River on Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett water, sewer rates could jump 43% by 2028

The rate hikes would pay for improvements to the city’s sewer infrastructure.

The bond funded new track and field at Northshore Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Bothell, Washington. (Courtesy of Northshore School District)
Northshore School District bond improvements underway

The $425 million bond is funding new track and field complexes, playgrounds and phase one of two school replacements.

Alina Langbehn, 6, center, and Vera A., 6, right, sit on a swing together at Drew Nielsen Neighborhood Park after school on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett council votes to renovate Drew Nielsen Park

Construction on the $345,000 upgrade could start as early as this fall.

Northshore School District bus driver Stewart O’Leary pictured next to his buses shattered drivers side windshield on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Put me in, coach’: Bus driver back at work after struck by metal bar

Stewart O’Leary, a Northshore employee, has received national attention for his composure during a frightening bus trip.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.