User:Schmittg

Gabriel Schmitt (born August 25, 1994) is a teenage American who grew up in Cleveland Ohio. He currently resides in Amherst, Massachusetts and attends Amherst Regional High School.

Early Life
Gabe Schmitt was born in the Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. He was born at 8 lbs 3 ounces. A fat baby, Gabe had curly blonde curly hair. He was the third of three children, Noah who is 2 years older, and Levi who is 5 years older. His nanny, Gloria Price worked all night, and cooked dinner as well as bathed him. He lived on Lincoln Avenue in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. His father, William Schmitt, was a salesman who was home 3 nights a week during this time. His mother, Ilana Schmitt, was a full time pediatrician. At age 3 he attended the JCC’s preschool program in their Cleveland Heights branch, where he met Ryan Friedman, a friend he has remained in touch with his entire life. At age 5 he was put into kindergarten at Fuchs Mizrachi, a Jewish Hebrew Accademy. By the second grade his parents decided that a house in Orange, a wealthier neighborhood, would be more suitable for their family. They moved in September of 2001. Soon after both of his parents would lose their jobs and switch their children into the Orange Public Schools. Gabe’s academics took a backseat to his schoolwork during this time and he played outside with his neighbors most days instead of doing his homework. He rarely focused on school and didn’t mind that he wasn’t getting the best grades. During this time Gabe developed relationships with many people, which he saw almost every day. The street he moved to, West Meadow Lane, was a lively street with many elementary school students for him to play with. Jake Ritchken would come out as one of the biggest influences in his life, and they are still friends. Gabe came to play soccer for Jake’s mother on a travel team where he first played competitive soccer. After two years his parents realized they couldn’t afford the expenses of Orangewood, his parents started searching for a less expensive house within the Orange area, so that they could keep their child enrolled in the Orange Schools. His parents impulsively bought a house at 29450 North Hiltop Road over the summer of 2005. There were many problems with the house, and soon their family would put hundreds of man-hours into the house to improve it. He started playing premier soccer in 7th grade for CSA Impact. Soccer was his favorite activity. By 8th grade his parents had little money and his mother was searching for a job out of state. His father was doing small house work jobs for friends for little money. Although his parents worked very hard they could not seem to make any money.

In 8th grade Gabe enjoyed his final year in Orange. He went to Israel on a Hebrew school trip. He made very good friends and developed a serious love affair with Rebecca Lieberman, although it remained secret until after he left. On the school trip to Washington DC he was very affected by their visit to Arlington cemetery. By September his mother had gotten a job at the University of Massachusetts in their clinic as the pediatrician. She would leave six months ahead of the rest of the family. In August he left for Amherst, Massachusetts.

Gabe struggled with the move initially. He lives in a quaint house near his school. He attends Amherst Regional High School. His father is a lab assistant at UMASS in the chemistry department. His mother still works in the clinic. He currently lives at home with his family.