Lexi McClelland was 24 when Mary arrived in her second-grade class in Bentonville, Arkansas. The girl, just 7 years old, had already been through four different foster homes. Something changed in that classroom when teacher and student began to see each other differently.
When the system looked for a stable family for Mary, Lexi’s name came up almost immediately: she was already a familiar face to the little girl. She and her husband Max were approved as adoptive parents faster than usual. Mary arrived at her new home in September with a social worker and almost nothing in her hands.
On April 7, 2022, the legal story came to a close: Mary struck the judge’s gavel with her own hands to seal her adoption. Today she is 12 years old, in seventh grade, and looks after her younger brother, Murphy. People already compare her to Matilda and her Miss Honey — but this time the story came true. 🥹👩🏫💛