For the Reporter

Parker Kittilsby is the great-grandson of Gildo Rey, a longtime educator in the Auburn School District and the namesake of Gildo Rey Elementary.

A ninth-grader at Mercer Island High School, Kittilsby was inspired after reading about the academic success of Gildo Rey’s students. He also discovered about 85 percent of the students are on free or reduced lunch and really wanted to help.

“What better project to do than help kids at a school named after a family member?” Kittilsby said.

Kittilsby got busy raising funds for school supplies for Gildo Rey students. Right before school started, he delivered 104 fully-stocked backpacks to the school.

Kittilsby raised $1,700 through a letter writing campaign to extended family and family friends. His family’s company, Miles Sand & Gravel, purchased the backpacks.

Armed with the school supply lists for each grade level, he went to Target and loaded up five carts worth of school supplies. He assembled all of the backpacks, stocking each with the required grade-level supplies.

Rey served in the Auburn School District as principal and administrator from 1944 to 1973. He was born in Black Diamond, graduated from Buckley High School, attended Central Washington University and the University of Washington. After his death, South Auburn Elementary was renamed in his honor.

Kittilsby plans on providing the backpacks to Gildo Rey students again next year. He would like to expand his support of the school named after his great-grandfather.

“Parker inspires me personally to continue to reach out to our youth and our community in an effort to bring us all together and support one another as we strive to educate and support our children to achieve their full potential and always do their personal best,” said Jana Jo Uhlendorf, Gildo Rey principal.