Dartmouth Teacher Returns Art to Former Student 24 Years Later

Imagine getting a Facebook message from a teacher who had something for you that was once yours a quarter of a century ago. For Dartmouth native Aaron Houbre, that's exactly what happened.

On Wednesday, January 13, Houbre received a message from a teacher over at Quinn Elementary School who claimed she had a drawing that belonged to him. For some reason, the efforts of two teachers over the span of two different schools kept the artwork intact and in one piece. As a matter of a fact, it's been hanging on the walls of the Dartmouth school system since Houbre was in the second grade.

Mrs. Kehoe was Houbre's second-grade teacher over at the Job S. Gidley School and before she retired, she hanged Houbre's masterpiece on the wall of her classroom and for years it never moved. As soon as Mrs. Kehoe was done teaching, another colleague of hers, Mrs. O'Malley, took the drawing and put it up in her classroom for display.

Fast forward more than 20 years later and it's now Mrs. O' Malley's turn to retire from her career, but before she did, she had a mission to accomplish and that was to get a hold of Houbre to return the drawing that represented his youthful talent. Houbre was only seven years old when he drew this photo and now it's being passed back to the artist who created it.

As far as what inspired or made Houbre draw what he did, he has no recollection or memory.

"I was surprised and excited," Houbre told Fun 107. "At first, I asked if there was a place for another teacher to keep the drawing to keep the streak going since this is Mrs. O'Malley's last year."

The drawing is unclear as to what it is or depicts, but Houbre thinks it might be a Pokemon drawing.

This is not the first time Houbre has experienced some limelight from his art work. Houbre was a student at the old Dartmouth Middle School when he did a drawing for a Dr. Seuss contest, and that picture was on display for over 10 years.

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