Musketeer Monday: Jesus Benitez

Congratulations to Mulligan Elementary School sixth grader Jesus Benitez on achieving a 100% perfect attendance record! Jesus joined the Mulligan community in third grade after transferring from Mulvey Elementary School, and he’s proud to be featured in this week’s Musketeer Monday spotlight.

Of all the subjects he learns in school, math tops his list of favorites. He also enjoys homework because, as he explained, “Homework is good because it helps you even more with what we learn in school.”

With a perfect attendance record, Jesus shared why he enjoys coming to school each day: “When I come to school, I learn more, and I get to see my friends and faculty every day.” He is a member of Mulligan’s Safety Patrol and participates in intramurals, particularly enjoying soccer and volleyball.

Jesus said his favorite color is green and his favorite holiday is Christmas. “The holiday that I like best is Christmas because I get to spend time with my family and friends, and I get to see my relatives,” he said.

While Jesus likes all of his teachers equally, he gives special high-fives to Mrs. Ramirez, Mrs. Donovan, and Miss English—his third grade teacher when he first arrived at Mulligan. “When I came to Mulligan in third grade from Mulvey, I was new here, and Miss English helped me to progress and introduced me to everyone,” he recounted.

Coming from a tight-knit family, Jesus says his parents are his role models, and he is especially proud of his Salvadoran heritage. His younger sister, Angie, is currently a fourth grader at Mulligan. Jesus is especially excited that he will soon become an uncle, and he looks up to his older brother as a source of inspiration.

“One day I want to be in the Marines like my brother—or maybe the U.S. Air Force—because I want to help my country more,” he said.

As Jesus prepares to move on from Mulligan to Reed Middle School in September, he says he’s looking forward to what lies ahead: “It’s going to be a new school with different classes, more sports, and I’ll be meeting a lot of new kids from different elementary schools—there will be a lot going on there,” he said.

To Jesus, being a Musketeer means “being caring, kind, and responsible.”

Mulligan Elementary Principal Mr. Timothy Lynam offered this praise: “Jesus Benitez is a great student, part of Safety Patrol, has perfect attendance, and he is an excellent representation of Mulligan Elementary School.”