WALPOLE, Mass — Philip Lippolis may have a serious illness, but from students to administrators, it’s a full-court press at the Boyden School in Walpole to keep him connected.
He participates in class, walks the hallways and even goes to lunch.
“He loves school. Loves school. He would never miss a day. He was not the child who would ever want to miss a day of school,” teacher Cheryl Ivatts said.
But since October, 10-year-old Phillip has physically been missing many days of school.
He’s battling Leukemia for the second time in his life.
"Well, I miss school because I miss all my friends and teacher," Phillip explained.
Knowing his love for school, Phillip's teacher set up a way for him to attend by FaceTime. He's 'virtually' there on an iPad.
"So he's doing all the same things we're doing. So he doesn't feel like he's missing anything," Ivatts explained.
One thing is clear, Phillip's classmates are missing him.
Last week, the entire school expressed its solidarity with Phillip by dressing in his favorite color.
“It was amazing. It was truly amazing. The entire school was dressed in white,” said Ivatts.
Phillip's class also recently did a project about character traits. Phillip wasn't there that day, so his classmates described what they saw in him.
The most prominent trait was 'brave.'