Colorado 6th Grader Receives Hundreds of Letters After Yearbook Goes Unsigned

Brody Ridder, 12, of Westminster, Colorado made headlines after his mother Cassandra posted a photo to Facebook, revealing that his classmates refused to sign his yearbook.  She also shared a note her son wrote to himself on the blank pages, “Hope you make some more friends — Brody Ridder.”  People around the world have been sending him encouraging notes in the weeks following the heartbreaking post.

Over the past several weeks, Brody has received hundreds of letters written in various languages.  People are not only offering advice and words of encouragement but also sharing their own personal experiences with bullying.  “I cry with the majority of them I read because these people are just … they relate,” she said. “They’ve been through it, too: Cassandra said.

Cassandra said her son struggled to make friends this past year while attending The Academy of Charter Schools in Westminster which consists of students from kindergarten through 12th grade.  “He was just bullied, teased … you name it, it’s happened to him,” Cassandra said. “He’s tried to put himself out there to make friends … he’ll get kids’ phone numbers, and he will try to text them, but they will never respond to him. Or they’re like, ‘I don’t want to talk to you’.  I don’t know if the kids are just struggling socially from returning to in-person learning,” she said. “I don’t know what’s going on” she said.

She said when her son came home one day during the last week of school, he teared up.  His classmates told him they were too busy and that he wasn’t important when he asked them to sign his yearbook, she said.  When she looked through the book, she recalled seeing two names. There were no notes beside them, either.  When she saw that he had signed it himself she felt her heart break.

Shortly after, Cassandra posted about the incident in a Facebook group filled with other parents at the school. She also reminded the parents to teach their kids how to be kind. What she didn’t expect was for several parents to message her back. They asked her what class Brody was in, so their kids could stop by and say hello on the last day of school.

Before Brody left for the last day of school, Cassandra reminded him that “Ridders aren’t quitters” and handed him his yearbook. On May 24, during the school’s end-of-year celebration, dozens of students from other grades lined up to sign Brody’s yearbook and send him off with warm messages for the summer.  He had over 100 signatures and notes by the end of the day.

His story even caught the attention of Paul Rudd, who plays the title character in Marvel’s Ant-Man, who also contacted Brody.  Rudd sent him an Ant-Man Helmet signed with a special note to encourage him.  Cassandra plans to make a book out of all the letters one day so whenever Brody is having a tough day, he can pull out it out for some encouragement.