When we think of American heroes the ones that usually spring to mind are political and military leaders, sports figures, astronauts or inventors.
But many times American heroes can be found in our homes, in our own families.
Three eighth-graders at Oxford’s Kingsbury School found their American heroes in their parents, grandparents and uncles and wrote award-winning essays about them.
Johanna Kinsler, Veronica Thompson and Kealey McGray won first, second and third places respectively for their school in the 34th Annual “America and Me Essay Contest,” sponsored by Farm Bureau Insurance.
The topic for this year’s contest was “My American Hero.” The winning Kingsbury students’ essays are featured below.
Established in 1968 and open to all Michigan eighth grade students, the essay contest encourages youth to explore their roles in America’s future.
Several thousand eighth-graders from nearly 525 Michigan schools participated in this year’s contest.
Kinsler’s first place essay about her mother and grandmothers will next advance to the state level competition, from which the top 10 essays in Michigan will be selected.
The top 10 statewide winners, who will be announced in April, will receive plaques, cash and U.S. Savings Bonds valued from $500 to $1,000.
In addition, the top 10 essayists will be honored at a banquet in Lansing, meet with Michigan’s top government leaders and be featured guests at a Lansing Lugnuts minor league baseball game dedicated in their honor.
As the first place winner for Kingsbury, Kinsler’s name will be engraved on a plaque for permanent display in the school.
When asked why her mother and grandmothers are American heroes, Kinsler, of Lake Angelus, replied, “They work unbelievably hard and never complain. I’ve never seen them get mad, even when they’re frustrated. They have a peaceful quality, which is what the world needs.”
Thompson, the second place winner from Oxford, chose her grandfather, Richard Halsey, as her American hero because he was a “really nice guy” who “taught me a lot” and “helped me a lot with my school work.”
Halsey is a former principal of Kingsbury School.
McGray, the third place winner from Rochester Hills, wrote her American hero essay about her uncle, John Eisenhower, a palm tree trimmer in Arizona.
When asked why her uncles fits that category, McGray replied, “He’s a model citizen who works really hard. We can all learn a lesson from him.”
1st place: American Mothers, American Heroes by Johanna Kinsler
We flew half way across the country and drove all night for this one moment… My mother knocked on the door, and the door responded. My grandmother stepped out onto the open porch and hugged her daughter, my mother, with all the strength she had in her, beaming. She moved on and did the same to the four grandchildren who had come to visit her. The feeling of warmth, protection, and love a person can get from just one hug belonging to my grandmother is enough to get my entire family through six months of chaos. I now know why people call her grandmother; it is because she, like many other mothers and grandmothers, truly is a GRAND MOM. My grandmother taught my mom to be the great person she is, and now, like the rest of her generation, my mom is teaching me.
Mothers are everywhere: shopping, driving, teaching, battling their babies and teens, just doing the dirty work that needs to get done. If you walk into any given place, at any given time, you are bound to find a mom eager to help, eager to love, and eager to give. Most go about their daily lives unappreciated. Some kids tell their parents how much they hate them or how they can’t do anything right. What do mothers do in response? Try harder, and love their children more.
Every day mothers teach their children by example. They are true role models for the next generation. If a mother wishes their child to do something they make sure they are doing it first. They show their love to the world, not talk about it. They give peace, not just demand it. When they want the world to work more, they work more for it. Can you find any other large population in America who is as wise as this?
Today mothers are breaking new ground; they work while their children are at school. They bring in extra, if not all of the money, into the household. They relieve stress from their husbands by putting it on themselves, and after all of this, they rarely take out their stress on other people.
One truly unique thing about mothers, though, isn’t just the kindness that they have for their own families, but for all people. Usually, if I am in distress, any mother can detect it from a mile away and stop what she is doing to comfort me.
There are so many small, but great things mothers do that add up to the grand total. However, if I said all of them, this tribute to mothers would not end. Let me now say it plainly, if you haven’t already gotten it. My American heroes are the mothers and grandmothers who work so hard every day for their children in order for them to have a better today and tomorrow! Mothers truly are selfless. I love you Mom!!!
2nd place: My American Hero
by Veronica Thompson
‘”Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house…” I was sitting on the floor with all my friends as my grandfather, Richard Halsey, read to the entire lower elementary school. He was the principal of my school until I was in the third grade. My grandpa would always say, “Just do your very best.” He would walk into each classroom in the morning and when he walked into mine, I would wave. His house was next to the school and when my parents would go on trips, I would stay at their house where he would read us stories like “Raggedy Ann.”
My grandfather was the eighth grade history teacher at my school, a subject that I have grown to love. President Abraham Lincoln is his favorite president and has been mine since the third grade. When he retired as principal, a special guest appearance was made by “Honest Abe” himself. My grandpa is always a lot of fun; he used to pretend to be a doctor whenever my cousin, my sister, or I said we were hurt. Needless to say we did not complain about being hurt after that.
He also is a great help with history and English homework. Whenever I have a question, I know that I can call him. He always explains things very clearly, and he is able to teach new things to me quickly and easily. I recently took up an interest in playing chess, which I at the time knew nothing about, but with his and my father’s help, I learned the rules of the game and am now enrolled in a chess elective class at my school.
When my grandfather moved to Interlochen, I was devastated. I thought that now that my grandparents were leaving I would hardly get to see them. Now I see them plenty enough, even though they live four hours away. My grandpa still works and his meetings are often near our house so he and my grandmother, Carol Halsey, stay at our house. Now I see him every few months, and it is always a pleasant surprise to see them outside the door.
I am very grateful for all that he has done as my grandfather. And I am sure many others are grateful for all that he has done for them as a principal and as a teacher.
My grandpa may not have won a war single handedly or even participated in one. But to me that is not necessarily what a hero is. A hero to me is someone who has a major impact on you. And my grandfather has had a major impact on my interests and my life. Richard Halsey was born and raised in America, taught American history and, above all, is my grandfather. I think that is more than enough to qualify him as my American hero.
3rd place: Someone to Look Up To
by Kealey McGray
For some people, when they think of a hero, a picture of a past president pops into their head. For others, a picture of firefighters making a rescue. But very few people think of their neighbor, the man who works at the gas station, or the school secretary. What most people don’t realize is that the house mom or the bus driver may have a bigger story behind them. Maybe the house mom once helped work on warplanes, or maybe the old man at Blockbuster was a war veteran. But it doesn’t even have to be something as great as that. A hero could be the man who always held open the door for you, or maybe a lady who always volunteered for school events. What somebody does to be a hero doesn’t have to be a big thing, or a small thing. It’s doing something that helps someone out, that brightens someone’s day, that makes a change in someone’s life, that changes the way that somebody looks at things, or simply being someone we all can look up to.
Someone that I think fits that description is my Uncle John. He didn’t invent electricity or save 1,000 lives, but he is a model citizen, and that is something hard to find. My Uncle John has a wife, my Aunt Kim, and 5 kids, my cousins John, Joel, Emily, Erin, and David. Because my Aunt Kim doesn’t work, my uncle has always had to work hard to provide enough money for food for all of them. With such a big family to provide for, you would think you might find my uncle performing heart surgery, or defending a person in court. But most likely, to find my uncle at work, you’d have to look up, way up.
In fact, you’d have to look way up into the trees to find him because my Uncle John is a palm tree trimmer in Arizona. It might not sound like the most respectable job in the world, but every morning, at 4:00 A.M. my uncle gets ready and heads out for work. It’s definitely not the most popular job around. There’s low pay, and it’s tedious being stuck in a tree all day, but my uncle works hard despite the danger he puts himself in.
He makes enough money to pay for clothing for all his kids, for food for the whole family, for school supplies, for the house payments, and he even gives each child a small amount of money to put in the offering at church each week. Although they have to make some sacrifices, such as various vacations, and buying spontaneous things, they get along all right and are a happy family. If you asked my uncle what he thought of his job, I’m sure he would tell you it’s a tough job, but he loves the satisfaction he gets from being able to provide for his family. He never complains.
Although most people would not want to be my Uncle John, I think we could all learn from him. We take so many things for granted each day. Many of us wouldn’t know what to do in a situation like his family’s. I hope that by hearing his story, you all might have learned a valuable lesson. And that maybe, you won’t take for granted all the things you have, but be grateful for everything you do. That’s something all of us Americans can live by.