CHESAPEAKE, Va. — April is the Month of the Military Child—when children of service members and veterans are celebrated.
We're highlighting the sacrifices a local Navy family makes to ensure their son is successful when his dad is away from home.
Grassfield senior Jameson Booth is a talented artist. His talents are on display on the school's walls, where he and his classmates painted a mural.
He says the mural is an abstract piece that represents the spirit of Grassfield.
"How could we say 'Grassfield' without saying it with nothing but shapes?" he said while explaining the idea behind the mural.
While Jameson is on the autism spectrum, it hasn’t kept him from racking up dozens of awards and accolades for his art and writing.
“To know him as a nonverbal kid who would tantrum and couldn’t transition and threw food, to this young man who can write essays about his dreams and aspirations,” said Jameson's mom, Dwayla Booth.
One essay he wrote landed him a trip to the Disney Dreamers Academy. He's one of just two teens in Hampton Roads chosen to go to Disney World for four days.
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Jameson’s elementary school teacher Kelly Hasty has kept up with Jameson and his family for years. She tells me she’s not surprised by all his success.
“He’s just one that I knew would just take off and just needed the time and patience," said Hasty. "He has a wonderful support in his family."
He wants to be an ‘artivist,' a term he’s heard in art circles.
”He wants to use his art to draw attention to issues in the world of injustice,” said Dwayla Booth.
“Take the issues of the modern world and put them in art to send a message,” said Jameson. “Pushing those messages forward to the people in a certain way that can emotionally touch them."
Jameson’s dad is in the Navy and made sacrifices to keep their son in the same school district.
“He’s managed to keep us in Chesapeake over 10 years," said Jameson. "He's very focused on his work. Oftentimes, he'll be at the computer, but he still manages to find time for us."
His dad did two 14-month deployments and a three-year post at the Pentagon.
“That’s difficult. That’s a lot of transition," said Dwayla Booth. "It's not easy, especially when Jameson was still emerging as a communicator and still had some issues that he was working through."
Now, as Jameson approaches high school graduation, those around him realize he has positively moved beyond any adversity he had early on.
