“Wonder” – the film (5)

The incident in the wood makes Auggie popular and accepted by the rest of the class.
At the end of the school year, at graduation, after Isabel comments on him being a “wonder”, the boy is given the annual medal to acknowledge his great work as a student and as a person.
Auggie has endured a number of issues, but bravery, charm, and wit have won over the other students.

Final scene

Transcript

Mom
Yes?
Thank you.
For what? Making me go to school. I was so mad at you sometimes. But I’m really happy to be here. You really are a wonder, Auggie. You are a wonder.
Thank you, choir. That was beautiful. Ladies, gentlemen, boys and girls, graduates. Final award this morning is the Henry Ward Beecher medal to honour students who have been notable or exemplary. Usually, it’s “good works,” a service award. But I came upon a passage that he wrote, which made me realize that good works come in many forms. “Greatness,” he wrote, “lies not in being strong but in the right using of strength. He or she is the greatest whose strength carries up the most hearts by the attraction of his own.” Without further ado, this year, I am very proud to award the Henry Ward Beecher medal to the student whose quiet strength has carried up the most hearts. So, will August Pullman please come up here to receive this award?
You’re the best, dude!
Walking up towards that stage, I felt like I was floating. My heart was beating so fast. I didn’t really understand why I was getting a medal. It’s not like I blew up the Death Star. All I did was get through fifth grade, just like everyone else here. (Congratulations. Here you go. That’s for you.) Then again, maybe that’s kind of the point. Maybe the truth is, I’m really not so ordinary. Maybe if we knew what other people were thinking, we’d know that no one’s ordinary. And we all deserve a standing ovation at least once in our lives. My friends do. My teachers do. My sister does for always being there for me. My dad does for always making us laugh. And my mom does the most. For never giving up. On anything. Especially, me. It’s like that last precept Mr. Browne gave us. Be kind, for everyone is fighting a hard battle. And if you really wanna see what people are, all you have to do… is look.