My granddad is also important to other people. He is a Navy veteran and he teaches schoolchildren about the flag and the Pledge of Allegiance. My granddad helps many people fix things and build things. For example, he has a friend, Grover, who is in a wheelchair. My granddad takes him shopping and has fixed many things around his house. My granddad is always helping people.
My granddad is my hero. I hope I can be like him when I grow up.
Laura Ferriera
By Kenzie Segale, second grade, Mark Twain Elementary School
Laurie Ferriera is my Kindness Hero. She is the kindest person I know. She always has a smile on her face. Laura always makes sure to say “hi” to everyone she knows. I’ve never seen her mad or even yell at anyone. Laura works hard at her job and still has time to give to her church. She helps the kids at her church in Awana. Laura teaches me about God and Jesus Christ and that make me feel good.
Laura loves everyone and treats everyone in the same way. I am glad to have Laura as my friend because she is the best kind of friend to have.
These are the reasons why I chose Laura as my Kindness Hero.
Alex Hammond
By Samuel Janofsky, eighth grade, Mark Twain Elementary School
Of all the tremendously kind, giving people I could have dedicated this Kindness Hero Essay to, I chose my best friend, Alex Hammond. He is a goodhearted person who is happy to be your friend. Alex treats others with respect, loyalty, and honesty in which he is given in return. Also, there is no better person to look up to when you’re feeling down in spirit because only a few have the pain he’s gone through. I’ve chose Alex Hammond for this essay for these reasons.
A couple of months ago, Alex’s dad, Greg Hammond, died of leukemia. This was tragic for Alex and his family, and I have tried very hard to make Alex feel like I would be there to help him overcome this tragedy. I believe that these harsh times have turned Alex into an even more compassionate person who will help you feel strong inside when you are sad. So never be afraid to tell Alex of the hurt or troubles that are boiling you up inside, because he, of all people, will understand.
Though you may think of Alex as a humble person from what I have told you, he can turn out to be quite the social act. He likes making new friends and has more than you can count on all your fingers and toes. Alex also likes to make people laugh hard enough that they start to cry as if they were cutting up ripe onions. You can tell most of Alex’s friends have been affected in a good way, I know I have been affected. And if you’re new to Mark Twain Elementary, you should ask Alex anything, because he could become a valuable friend.
And what better friend could a person have than Alex. Like an investment, the more honesty, respect, and loyalty you invest, the more you will profit. And to have a friend that is so loyal that you know he won’t talk behind your back or ditch you for something “more important” is something any person would want. And the honesty you are given in return is instant; you know you will not be lied to. Alex respects the individual and will not share secrets he is told privately to spare that someone’s dignity.
So I think it is an honor to have such an awesome friend like Alex. And I also think that anyone can look to Alex for an inspiration to become a better person. With all honesty in mind, I could have chosen any nice person to write this essay about, but I looked deep down inside and realized who best deserved to be a Kindness Hero winner: my best friend, Alex Hammond.
Heath Lane
Heath Lane brings a lot of knowledge to our community because he played pro baseball. He donates his time to coach Little League baseball. Heath helps a lot of kids that have never played baseball. For the week of spring break, he has a baseball clinic to teach people to play better.
He inspired me to be a better person, and now I can share the joy of baseball with others. He helped me to be able to be a part of a team. If you ever made a mistake, he was never hard on you. It made me feel very confident about myself.
I am so happy that I had Heath Lane to teach me the wonderful game of baseball.
Marny MercadoBy Trica Welch, fifth grade, Copperopolis Elementary SchoolMy Kindness Hero is Marny Mercado. Marny is my Girl Scout leader. I have only known her for a year but she has been one of the nicest people I have met in California.
I moved to Copperopolis last year from Michigan. I didn’t know anyone. Back home, I had been in the same Girl Scout troop since I was five years old. I also came from a very small school and those girls were also in my class since kindergarten. It was very sad to leave them and I was scared about my new school.
Marny met my mom and knew that we had been in Girl Scouts. She invited me to sit in with her troop and do some activities to get to know some of the girls. She also asked us to go on their camping trip to Gilroy Gardens. It was so fun and everyone was so nice that I joined her troop this year.
Marny didn’t have to ask us to do things with her troop. She knew that moving was a big changed and wanted to help. Marny does a lot for our troop. She always keeps us busy working on badges and we learn a lot. My favorite bade was “Sky Searchers.” The troop went for an overnight trip to Fleming Lodge.
She tries to pick activities for us to go that she thinks we might like. We have gone a lot of places to learn new sports. We did a cheerleading workshop, went rock climbing, and have gone fencing.
When we are working on an activity or badge sometimes one of us might not understand what to do. Marny tired to take time with us to help us understand and she doesn’t get made at us. She is a patient person. She always tries to get our opinions and tries to make us make decision about the troop so that we can be more responsible.
To be a Girl Scout leader, you have to be organized because of all the paperwork. Marny always has the meeting planned out and know what is coming up and going on. She also goes to meetings and trainings on her own time. She doesn’t get paid for any of that. She just does it so she can continue to help us.
She is trying to make us become better people by thinking of others. Our troop did boxes for women and children that were in shelters because of domestic violence. They were placed around town to get donations of toiletries. We also did Christmas boxes for children in Africa. To earn our Leadership Pin we are making cat beds for the Humane Society. To help out other troops we are hosting this year’s Thinking Day at our school. This is a big event and lots of troops get involved. Mary is helping us organize it and put it on so we can work toward earning our Bronze Award. The Bronze Award is the highest award a Junior Girl Scout can earn.
Since Marny helped me to make new friends I will always try to help out kids that are new. I also just try to be more patient with my friends. Going rock climbing I realized that I can do things that seem scary or too tough. I even went away to Girl Scout camp.
I think Marny is just a very nice person and I feel lucky to have her as my Girl Scout leader. She is my Kindness Hero.
Susan MiddletonBy Kent Whittle, sixth grade, Mark Twain Elementary SchoolMy Kindness Hero is Susan Middleton, my aunt. She is a very giving and caring person, not only to me but to others. She is helpful in the community. She owns Middleton’s Hallmark and is always willing to donate to charities, schools, different youth programs and her church. I feel the most important donation isn’t to the programs she supports, but the time and knowledge she shares with others.
Some of her contributions are teaching CCD and being involved in our church. She was the past 4-H Community Club leader and is willing to help out in her community. I admire her willingness to help others. Her caring, giving and honest character shows when she is teaching her class, running a meeting or helping a customer in her store.
The reason I chose Susan Middleton (my auntie) is because she is a fun person to be around and has taught me to be a caring, giving and honest person.
Mikayla MuehleisenBy Madison Lewis, fourth grade, Copperopolis Elementary SchoolFor my Kindness Hero, I picked my big sister, Mikayla, because there are many things to name her, like nice, kind and helpful. She’s not just nice to me; she’s nice to everyone. If someone is new, she walks up to them and shows them around. If someone is hurt, he’ll be right by their side, saying, “Are you OK?” She will never gossip about people. If someone is doing something wrong, she’ll say, “You know that’s not safe.”
I look up to my sister as my hero because, yeah, we fight, but at the end it all works out. She teaches me to give people a chance and to never break your promise. So whenever I’m rude I think about my big sister and give them a chance. She taught me not to judge them from the outside and look within them to see their kindness in them.
She’s a big part of our church youth group. They have special events where they will go around helping people. Every time she goes to church, she learns to help people, teach people about God and she learns how to help people more and more each time.
When I grow up, I want to be like her because she makes everyone around her happy. She’s a beautiful person on the outside and inside. She’s kind and generous and I love her very much. Mikayla will always be around to pick me up if I fall and hold me when I’m sad. We’ve been through a lot together and she made me strong. I think of her as my hero for all these reasons. That’s why I chose my big sister, Mikayla Ashley Muehleisen, to be my Kindness Hero.
Francisco MunozBy Francisco Munoz, fourth grade, Copperopolis Elementary SchoolMy Kindness Hero is my dad. I chose him because he is very kind to me and people he knows or meets. When someone needs help, he tries to help them. I remember one day my dad was putting gas in his car. Then, this lady asked my dad if he could give her money for the gas, so my dad gave her $7. On another day, two guys came to our house and they were starving so my dad gave them some food and water.
My dad is a very responsible respectful person. He works hard to support our family. He is very honest, too. He never likes to break the law. He pays the bills when they are due. He buys food when we need it and when we get sick he buys medicine and takes us to the doctor.
My dad is very clever and smart. He makes rules for us that are good for us. For example, we need to do our homework when we come from school. He lets us eat one candy a day after we eat food. On Fridays, we need to vacuum the house.
My dad really cares about me and my sister and how we’re doing in school. He makes sure that every day we do our homework. He helps us on questions we don’t get. He is very happy when we get a’s on our report cards. He usually asks us how we’re doing in school. He always makes sure I read my book.
My dad always tries to find time to spend with us. My dad talks about good manners almost every day. My dad likes to take us to the park and play with us. Sometimes, he tells us stories at bedtime.
The way my dad acts inspires me to be kind, respectful and a better person. My dad is not only my dad, he is my best friends because he always listens to me when I have a questions and he always tries to answer it the best he can. I know I’ll always trust him and count on him. My dad is the best dad anyone can have. That’s why my dad is my hero.
James Michael ShevlinBy Crissy Shevlin, eighth grade, Mark Twain Elementary SchoolMy Kindness Hero is my dad, James Michael Shevlin. Can you guess why? He is a volunteer firefighter and president of the fire committee. He is also a loving father and cares about his family a lot. He might not be very important to people who don’t know him, but he means the world to me.
My dad is a volunteer firefighter. He has a full-time job, makes time for his family and goes to every call he gets. The only exception is when he is out of town. He obviously cannot make it to a call if he is out of town. He does not get paid for being a volunteer, but puts all of his heart and mind into being a firefighter. He wants to go to the calls and save the people. Even though he does not know the people, he wants to save their lives. Every time he gets called to a medical emergency, he is out the door and on the road in about two minutes. He wastes no time to get there. One time, over the summer, I went to work with him. When we were on the way home, we saw a rolled-over car on the side of the road. Everybody was out of the car and OK, so we kept driving. We were about two miles from our house and about 15 miles from the accident. Usually he would never take anybody to a call, but he turned around right when he heard his pager go off and sped off to get there. We were behind the fire engine and they were turning around. My dad pulled over and asked what was going on. They said that the car was OK and was being towed away. My dad still went down to the accident to see if everyone was OK. My point is that, even after he is called off to a call, he goes out of his way to make sure the people are OK.
All in all, my hero is James Michael Shevlin. I love him as a father and as a person. He is very strong-minded and devoted. That is why I chose him as my hero.
Kimberly ThorsonBy Michael Legge, fifth grade, Copperopolis Elementary SchoolThe hero I picked for my essay is my mom. I think my mom is really great. She takes care of the family. She’s funny and is also a role model. She does all the stuff that needs to be done. She works hard and is still able to give each and every one of us attention.
My mom takes care of the whole family. My grandpa lives with us and he is sick. He needs a liver transplant so he needs my mom to take care of him. My great-grandma lives with us, too. She is in bed most of the time and has trouble walking, so my mom needs to help her a lot. That shows kindness. My mom also works hard at taking care of me and my sister. She takes us our activities; she is at all of my games. She cooks for everybody, too.
I also think my mom is funny. She always makes us laugh. Even when she doesn’t feel good, or we don’t feel good, she tries to cheer us up. Sometimes she just says random things and it’s funny. She had a good sense of humor and makes jokes. She also has funny actions, like when you pantomime somebody in a funny motion.
My mom is also a good role model. She teaches us what is right from wrong. She tells me to help people when they are down. She tells me that school comes first and the rest is extras, that I should think about my future. Homework comes before anything else. She also teaches us how to take care of ourselves by doing chores and earning money.
At the end of each and every day I tell her I love her. I tell her she is all I ever want. She tells me the same thing. These are all the reasons why I chose my mom to be my hero.
Shaun WestbergBy Andrew Michels, eighth grade, Mark Twain Elementary SchoolHave you ever met a person who tries his hardest to create a community with plenty of fun activities offered to all children? I have, his name is Shaun Westberg. Because he coaches footballs, leads not one but two 4-H groups, and finally he helps out in the community, that is why Shaun Westberg is my Kindness Hero.
First of all, Shaun Westberg coaches the bantam team for the AMA Junior Bullfrogs. Shaun never yells at any of his players, instead he takes him aside and tells the player what he has done wrong and how he can do better. Second, Shaun is very dedicated and comes from working all day to a practice, where he works hard until 7 p.m. Finally, Shaun exhibits kindness by giving kids who are not so fortunate rides to practice.
Another example of kindness shown by Shaun is that he helps out in the community. Shaun is always there is you need him, whether it’s trailering animals or mending fences. He is also very good at ranch work, like helping if animals are sick.
Furthermore, Shaun Westberg leads not only one but two 4-H groups for the Copper Hills 4-H Club. He leads the swine group, where he shows kindness by donation his house for meetings; he also donates his time every month. The second group he leads is the beef project, and every meeting is held at his house. He also lets people keep their steers at his house if they do not have a pen.
Because Shaun Westberg coaches football, helps in the community and leads two 4-H groups, he is my Kindness Hero. If more people were like Shaun the world would be a better place.
Tasha WestbergBy Julia Rohrabaugh, eighth grade, Mark Twain Elementary SchoolHave you ever met a Kindness Hero? A Kindness Hero is a person who goes out of her way to help people in her spare time, and I happen to know a great Kindness Hero. Because of her contribution in helping with community activities, getting people involved in church and feeding the homeless, Tasha Westberg is a great Kindness Hero.
First of all Tasha, when she is not working as an EMT, spends a lot of her time helping with community activities in the school and other organizations. One activity Tasha helps with is school fundraising. Tasha has been in charge of, or helped with, many fundraisers, from cookie dough selling to the Halloween carnival, for many years. Another contribution Tasha makes in the community is helping with 4-H. Tasha and her husband are 4-H leaders and donate money for decorations and tools for the fair in May. Last, Tasha teaches CPR at the Copper school once a year. Tasha teaches it at the school for a low price, which is very convenient for people.
Another effort Tasha gives to make the community a better place is to get people involved with the church. One act in getting people involved with church is hosting a VBS for kids. VBS is Vacation Bible School, which helps kids get the meaning of Christianity and will help them make friends. Another is teaching a youth group for older kids and teenagers. The youth group helps kids deal with their problems in school and gives them a place to express feelings. Tasha also taught a purity class for teenage girls. This teaches girls how important it is to stay pure till they get married and what it means to God if they do.
Last, Tasha helps every year with feeding the homeless at Capitol Christian Church. In doing this, the homeless people get dropped off at the church in a bus. Then they come in and get a Christmas picture taken and are seated. What Tasha does is sit with the people, talk to them and make them feel comfortable. Other helpers from the church serve the people a wonderful feast n way better than the kind at the shelters. When everyone is finished eating, the get to see a Christmas play the church puts on every ear. This is a very kind thing that Tasha does.
As you can see, Tasha is a wonderful person who helps people without even thinking about it. It just comes to her naturally out of the goodness of her heart. Because of her generosity, she’s able to be my Kindness Hero, as well as a hero to many others.
Rex WhittleBy Colton Atkinson, eighth grade, Mark Twain Elementary SchoolThere aren’t many people that help out in the community these days, but I know one person that helps everyone out: Rex Whittle. He helps out in the community and cares for everyone. Rex has helped in the community for as long as I have known him. When somebody needs help, he helps them and does his best.
First, Rex Whittle teaches my buddies and me how to work and take care of cows. Rex takes my buddies with him when he goes to the mountains. We help him take up salt, move cows and fix fence sometimes. Rex also invites us to his branding to brand his calves. When he doctors his cows, he tells us how to give the shots, where to give them and how much to give the cows.
Another example of Rex’s kindness is that he sets a good example for young children and me. I know a lot of kids that look up to Rex. I look up to Rex because he is a good guy and I want to be like him.
Finally, Rex Whittle helps kids buy their steers and teaches them how to take care of them so their steers will do well at fair. If a kid doesn’t find a steer for fair and Rex finds out, he will let them buy a steer from him for cheap price. If a kid needs help with taming down his steer, Rex will help or tell him how to tame the steer down. Rex will help anybody with their steers; he has helped my brother, sister and me with feeding them and taking care of them.
Rex will always be a Kindness Hero to me and other people all around him I hope to be like him when I grow up; I really enjoy being around Rex because he sets a good example for me and makes me laugh. That is why I chose Rex Whittle for my Kindness Hero.
Contact Kriss Krob at kkrob@calaverasenterprise
