Last month, Bloomingdale suffered a great loss with the passing of Dianela Sanchez. Dianela was first a Bloomingdale parent of her beloved children, Ramdi, Raini and Dianellis. Then she started in the classroom as a substitute and was hired as an assistant teacher in 2014. In her years with us, Dianela worked in a number of classrooms but her last partnership, with Brenda Soriano in the 3s, was very special. She quietly created an atmosphere in which the children could thrive and grow. She was fully present for the children and was particularly skilled at emotional care and conflict resolution.
Our executive director, José Velilla, remembered her this way: ‘Dianela was always a wonderful member of the Bloomingdale team. She approached the work with calmness and an innate wisdom she often kept to herself until needed. She was always ready to go above and beyond in any way she could. She especially loved working with the children and absorbed all of the curriculum and teaching information, so she could apply it to her work with children. Her passing was difficult for all of us and we recognize that we have lost a true Bloomingdale spirit.’
Marilyn Barnwell, our program director of education, said of her: ‘When I think of Dianela I want to smile. She brought sunshine into our program and that is what I’m going to think about when I’m remembering Dianela. I was able to really feel her sunshine when she was a parent and pregnant with her daughter Dianellis. She was a very happy pregnant mom and you felt her happiness. When Dianellis was old enough to attend Bloomingdale, we were able to bring Dianela’s sunshine into our education program. Dianela made a warm and nurturing impact in our classrooms. I think she enjoyed us as much as we enjoyed her. Dianela continued in our classrooms and was an amazing partner in a dynamic teaching team. She and Brenda worked together seamlessly and shone together.
As much as she enjoyed being with us and the Bloomingdale children – Dianela’s biggest pride and joy was her own children. She was her sunniest when she talked about and shared photos of her children. Dianela’s warm and nurturing soul will surely be missed and is a big loss for Bloomingdale. ‘
Dianela is profoundly missed by her colleagues, family and friends. We are grateful for the time we had with her at Bloomingdale.