We received essays from children who attend our community ’ s public and private schools .
We thank our amazing young writers and their teachers for taking the time to share their thoughts with us .
Special recognition goes to our Morgan Hill Kiwanis , Booksmart , and Morgan Hill Life for their support of our contest , and , in turn , our community ’ s youth . Kiwanis pro-vided trophies , cash prizes , and shirts to our essayists . Prizes will be presented to our winners at this year ’ s Patriotic
Sing , Saturday , July 3rd at 6 p . m . at the Morgan Hill Am-phitheater . They will also be our “ Guests of Honor ” at the 4th of July Parade as they ride along the Parade route on an antique firetruck .
Please take a minute to read our winning essays . You will see “ heroism ” through the eyes of some very talented young writers . We will continue “ Honoring our Heroes ”, and , our essay contest
winners as well !
Intermediate Division Children in Fourth , Fifth , and Sixth Grades
BELLA SANCHEZ Charter School Morgan Hill 4th Grade , Ms . Chagnon
Grand Prize
My hero doesn ’ t have a superpower or super speed but my loving GRANDPA has so much more than that . He is always there for me .
My Grandpa moved to California from Mexico to build a better life for himself . He had to learn a new language and a new lifestyle . In Mexico his family was really poor . He lived in a house with dirt fl oors . His life really changed from there on . He trained for the army and put all his hard work into it . After that he started a concrete business with my Great Grandpa and his brothers . He then got married to my Grandma and saved up all his money and built his dream house . As my dad got older he started working in the business . If my grandpa and my great grandpa started a concrete business , my dad would have never had a great childhood and would not have passed it down to me and my siblings . My Grandpa is the hardest worker I know .
My grandpa has taken me to school every morning since I was in preschool . I love the quality time we spend together in the car . We talk about when he was little and I love hearing his stories about his childhood and his time in the army . Sometimes he sings and it makes me laugh so hard . He always makes sure I have a great day . Every time he picks me up he says “ Mija did you have a good day ?’ I always answer with it was great and that makes him so happy . He always makes sure I am okay and will do anything to help me . He brings me food and always brings me a snack just in case I forgot one . If I am having a bad day he cheers me up and makes sure by the time I get home I am happy .
As you can see my Grandpa sacrifi ced many
things in his life . He has impacted my life by showing me unconditional love . He has taught me I can do anything if I put my mind to it . I can ’ t wait to one day take care of him the way he takes care of me . I promised him I ’ d never put him in a nursing home . The reason I ’ m writing this essay about my grandpa is he is the most important person in my life . He is so loving and caring I really don ’ t care if I win or not . I just want people to appreciate how much my grandpa means to me . However I hope you enjoyed reading this essay and learned more about my grandpa and my family .
AVA LEE-OHLSON Nordstrom Elementary School 5th Grade , Ms . Hemeon
Second Prize
In December of 2019 , the fi rst COVID-19 case appeared in Wuhan , China . A month later on January 15 , the fi rst Covid-19 case was confi rmed in Washington State , USA . By March of 2020 , the governor of California , Gavin Newsom , called for a state of emergency after the numerous confi rmed cases in CA . The fi rst death was confi rmed in Placer County , CA . Cases skyrocketed nationally . The pandemic has been really hard on our community . There have been many heroes throughout this time . Some are fi refi ghters , police offi cers , healthcare workers , and teachers but in this essay , I will focus on POSTAL WORKERS . Postal workers have been continuously helping our community by delivering our essentials , working long hours , and putting themselves at risk of Covid-19 .
I think postal workers are heroes because they are constantly putting themselves at risk . At the beginning of the pandemic , their health was at risk . There was a lack of personal protective equipment ( PPE ) like N95 masks , disposable gloves , and sanitizing gel / disinfectant . Postal workers were worried about being exposed to Covid-19 . They were not receiving the funding they required to purchase the PPE and there were few available vendors with what they needed . There were no emergency approved vaccines available in 2020 . When vaccines were available , postal workers weren ’ t vaccinated in the fi rst group . They ultimately ended up as part of phase 1B of the immunization schedule . Phase 1B of the vaccination process is the group of people who are second in line to get the vaccine . Examples of these people would be postal workers , workers in agriculture , education workers and child care workers , and emergency services . Even though there were many challenges , they kept working .
Postal workers worked long hours - delivering our packages starting early in the morning until late in the evening when it was dark . They knocked on our doors or rang our doorbells not knowing if the surfaces they touched may have been contaminated by Covid-19 . They heroically continued to deliver our essential needs despite their concerns . People ordered clothes , school supplies , food , and more online . Without postal workers to deliver these essentials , we wouldn ’ t have been able to set up our home offi ces for school and work . Almost all schools were conducting learning online which proved diffi cult for students ’ minds to work with as digital learning was not a part of normal life . Students and teachers had to buy computers , computer accessories , blue light eyeglasses , headphones , and workstations . If postal workers weren ’ t working regularly during the pandemic , we wouldn ’ t have been able to be prepared for school and our parents couldn ’ t complete their work tasks .
I am so thankful for the postal workers that have been working in my community throughout this pandemic . They are true heroes that deserve to be recognized for their hard work and dedication during the pandemic .
HONORING OUR HEROES Morgan Hill Freedom Fest 2021 11