My hero is my Mom. On the 25th of August, my Mom was born in San Diego, California. Her childhood was very interesting. She enjoyed swimming, cooking and quilting. Her family traveled all the time all over the country and to other countries. She would live for a month in a desert in Mexico off the land and then move somewhere else equally unique. She always dreamed of living in a foreign country. After she graduated from Stanford, she became a Chief Financial Officer for a company. Then she moved to a Idaho and then to North Carolina. She gave birth to my brother in California and to me in Idaho. Her current job is being the best mom in the world and that is why my mom is my hero.

 

My hero is James Paul Cobb. He started his life in 1947 at the start of WWII in Mcalester Oklahoma. He had a brother who was a real pain to him because he made fun of him. Once, he grabbed the phone and heard about the bike he wanted from Santa. He immediately told James and was very happy when he told him. He also had a Cocker Spaniel that mysteriously disappeared one day and never returned. That happened when he was 13 years old. His best friend was his cousin, a boy named Billy Frank. He had very nice parents but in school he never had to go to kindergarten. His happiest moment is apparently when I was born. Fortunately, nothing bad really happened to him. He never in his life as a child had a vacation! Can you believe that? Let me tell you why I chose James Cobb as my hero.

James Cobb is a very generous person. He is very generous with his time, especially for a good cause. An example is when he volunteered In the pharmacy at the national Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. He worked at the Bethesda Naval Hospital to help out when the U.S.S. Comfort was deployed. Just so you will know, the U.S.N. S. Comfort is a Mercy-class hospital ship that does not carry any offensive weapons. Firing on a Mercy-class ship is in violation of the Geneva Convention and would be considered a war crime. Another example of James’s generosity is when he volunteered in a FEMA command center during Hurricanes Andrew and Iniki. He is also very generous with information. Whenever I need to know something for school or if I just want to ask about something random, he comes right out and explains the whole thing with a diagram! My dad is really generous when it comes to helping others but this is just one characteristic out of many that made me choose my dad as my hero.

James Cobb is my hero because he is smart. He has a degree in education and pharmacy. He was a high school Chemistry and Physics teacher. Later he became a pharmacist and worked in the military reaching a high rank and receiving many awards. His rank in the military was the Eagle. He left the military after 30 years of service. He told me the reason he left was if you did not want to go higher than an Eagle you had to leave after your 30th year of service. I am proud of my dad for how smart he is!

James Cobb is my hero because he is really nice. He helps people when they need him. He has helped our neighbors several times. Like one time he helped our neighbor grill steaks. Another time, he helped out our landscapers. He gave absolute precise directions helping the landscapers know what to do. He also helps me with problems in school that I don’t understand. If I don’t understand something on homework, he explains how to do it with an example. He does not tell me the answer. James Cobb is very nice and never complains about helping me or other people.

James Cobb is a true leader, which is another reason why he is my hero. Whenever my mom gets sick, he goes immediately in charge. He replaces mom by doing 75% of the work mom usually does. He has me check on mom almost every hour. He also does the cooking. Whenever mom and I go to Maryland, he keeps running the house even when mom and I are gone, because when we get back he makes sure everything is clean and everything goes back to normal.

James Cobb has had a real impact on my life! Of course, he’s my dad and dads have a lot of influence on who you are. But he also is very helpful and gives me lots of information. I do not think I would be the person I am today without him. He has been a part of my life since I was very little and that really helped me later as I grew up. He is a real hero to everyone who knows him well and especially a hero to me.

 

My Hero Book

My hero is my mom, Yuet Berry. She was born on November 30th, 1966. She spent most of her childhood in the country part of Hong Kong, China with her one older brother and her one younger brother. When she lived in Hong Kong, it was a territory of England. Hong Kong was about to become a part of China again and her parents wanted a better life. Her father moved to New York City when she was seven. As a child she said she was very quiet and shy. When she was in Elementary School she would barely talk because she wasn’t good at speaking English since she always spoke Chinese. She didn’t have many hobbies because she spent most, if not all, of her time working. My mom would either always have to watch her younger brother or work at her Dad’s restaurant or doing school work, which she barely ever had time for. When she was in Middle School she won a medal for having the highest grade point average in Spanish. When my mom was in college, she went to Temple University in Philadelphia and got her degree in Occupational Therapy. She worked as an Occupational Therapist for fifteen years until she moved to North Carolina. She currently is a substitute preschool teacher and a full time mom. My mom is a great person and I am about to tell you why.

 

One reason I admire my mom is because she is helpful. If I’m having any type of problem she is always there to give me advice or to help me with any concerns I have. My mom has always been there to help me and my sister with homework, which I have been thankful for at many different times. She isn’t only helpful to me, but on many different occasions I have seen her help a stranger for no reason other than to be nice. When I was in the fourth grade at our school’s chorus performance, there was a two year old girl choking on a lollipop and as soon as my mom noticed she was choking and unable to breathe, she ran over to girl and started slapping her back until the girl spit out the lollipop. Another time we were at the airport and there was a confused elderly lady who was having trouble getting around. She looked lost so my mom went over and helped the lady find where she needed to be and brought her back to her husband. Later that day I asked her why she helped her and she told me that the lady appeared to have dementia and needed help. She recognized it because she was an Occupational Therapist. My mom does many helpful things for me each day and without that I would be lost. This isn’t her only good character trait, she has so many more.

 

Another great character trait of hers is that she is very supportive of my sister and me. If I ever have anything from a piano recital to a school performance I can always count on her to be there watching and encouraging me. She is one of the only parents I know that is always there no matter what she has to do. She can always know what to say or do to make me feel better if I’m having a bad day. My mom always gets me where I need to be and she has made many sacrifices to do so. I appreciate this about her because if she wasn’t as supportive as she is, I would not be who I am today.

 

One other wonderful character trait of hers is that she can be very patient. Since my mom currently works as a substitute pre-school teacher, I know that must be a tough job which requires a person who is patient. Pre-schoolers can be wild and a pain sometimes. I also know there must be many times when my sister and I are fighting and arguing and she just tries to calm us down, even though I know she would probably like to yell at both of us. My mom works very hard at taking care of my sister and me and we probably drive her crazy all the time, but she has a great way of dealing with it. If she yelled every time we annoyed her all she would do is yell, but my mom is patient with us and I think that is a great character trait about her. My mom has many great character traits and these are only some of many.

 

My mom has had a huge impact on my life. For as long as I lived, she has always been there for me. She has pushed me to do my best my whole life. Whenever I don’t feel in the mood to do my homework or to go to piano lessons, she always encourages me to go, but not to be mean. I know she wants to help me because she knows that if I skip lessons or don’t do homework, I won’t accomplish anything. My mom also can’t be unhappy. She always stays smiling no matter what the situation is. My mom has been a big part of my life. She is a wonderful person and this is why she is my hero.

For LA class, we made pop-up books on our heroes. My hero was my dad. In the scene, I made him operating on a person on a table. Here is the description along with two pictures of my book.

My Hero: Flip Clifford

by: Dan Clifford

My hero is my dad. My dad, Flip Clifford was born on April 5 in New Jersey. He is currently 45 years old. Currently, my dad is the Medical Director of Triangle Orthopedics in Durham, NC. He also operates on hips and knees. My dad lives with his family which includes my sister Lexi, my mom, Dr. Sue Clifford, my dogs, Cooper and Jake and me. We live in Durham, North Carolina. My dad has lived in New Jersey and in Florida. When he was little, he went to Brookside Elementary School. Right before he went to middle school, he moved to Florida and went to a middle school called Baypoint. My dad was very athletic. He played soccer, basketball, baseball, and ran track and field. My dad didn’t get very much free time when he was young because of homework and all of his sports practices. My dad’s biggest dream was to play baseball and soccer in college. One of those dreams came true because he did play baseball for Davidson College. My dad was a very good student and liked to read the “Black Stallion” Series when he was young. Now, my dad hangs out with me whenever he can. This is a little about my amazing dad. Here are some of his heroic character traits.

My dad is very caring. He is willing to do anything to make me happy. He tries to get home very quickly so that he can meet the needs of our family. My dad is not selfish at all. My dad is willing to talk to me about anything and teach me what he is best at. My dad would rather play lacrosse out in our back yard with me than play a round of golf with his friends. My dad’s free time revolves around my family. My dad is caring to his patients also. He spends all of his day at work repairing his patients’ hips and knees. He has made his life’s work about caring for other people and I respect him very much for that.

My dad is very respectful to everyone he spends time with. He is always respectful to his partners at work. That is why they want to work with him. He always tells me to treat other people the way I would like to be treated, which is the Golden Rule. He also tries to make a great first-impression on any person he meets. My dad is also greatly respected by other people. This is another heroic trait that makes him a great role model and my hero.

My dad is also very encouraging. He always encourages me to do the best I can and have fun. He is very enthusiastic about my sports. He is the loudest one cheering at my lacrosse games. My dad also encourages me to become whatever I want to be when I grow up. He is never telling me I have to this or I have to do that when I grow up. My dad supports my choices in life and I really appreciate that characteristic in him.

My dad has influenced me in many ways. He always shows respect to every person he meets. He tries to be a great role model for me all the time. He also tells me to treat people the way you would want to be treated. My dad takes time out of his busy day to meet the needs of his family members. He always tries as hard as he can to make me happy and to put a smile on my face. My dad is always surrounded by other people by he is such an amazing person. Every one of his partners at work respects him and want to do their surgeries with him. His patients trust him and request him for their complicated surgeries. He has a very strong reputation as a doctor and as a person. To me, he is a great role model, an amazing dad and my hero.

 

My Hero: Wesley Leathers

By: Aaron Leathers

 

For my hero project I chose to write about my brother Wesley Leathers. My brother is fourteen years old. He lives in Houston, Texas but he was born in Columbia, South Carolina. He was always on the popular side at school. He loved his Language Arts class in elementary school. Wesley has two siblings, my older sister Whitney and me. His childhood was fun but it had exceptions. He loved to go to his grandma’s house in South Carolina and he liked the family vacations we went on. His favorite childhood memory was when we went to Atlanta for the first time and spent the weekend with our uncle and aunt. Now, my brother helps out with my dad’s business. He says the worst thing that ever happened to him was breaking up with his first girlfriend named Desiree. Today he goes to Klein High School in Houston. Things haven’t really changed with him since he was younger, but he loves to keep his hair in good condition. His favorite subject is football. He has that subject because he plays a sport and it substitutes for PE. His main hobby is football but he also enjoys hanging out with friends. My brother’s best friend now is Kenny. Kenny is sixteen and they like to workout together and go swimming. When he was in South Carolina, his best friend was Ryan and they would go to the movies and go skating together. Wesley says his greatest accomplishment was when he became a Starter on the Blue football team for freshmen which is the highest team you can join. My brother is a great guy and a good motivator and that’s why I chose him for my hero story.

 

A character trait that my brother Wesley has is bravery. He will fight for anything that is wrong to make it right. One example is when he saw some kids at his school doing something they shouldn’t be doing, so he went over and stopped it. Wesley has been an idol and a hero to me forever. He is always there for the people he cares about and he never backs down from making things go right. I admire him for being brave and standing up for the right thing.

Another trait that my brother has is that he is very bold. One example of this is that he moved from South Carolina to Texas leaving all of his friends behind. My brother was a walk on to the football team. I think that is hard to do in Texas. Wesley made lots of friends on the first day of school, but he never forgot about the ones back at home. It was hard for him to move from state to state but he won that battle and that’s why I think Wesley is very bold.

 

Another trait that Wesley has is that he is encouraging. He is encouraging because he is the reason I started to play football. My brother has motivated me to play more. He was a big help when I was with him in the summer and he was like a second coach for me. Wesley is a 6’2,” 200 pound defensive end and I want to be just like him. He works on his skills and he doesn’t give up. I love that about him and I’m sure that he will help me get up to the NFL and be there for me every step of the way.

 

Another character trait Wesley has is that he is very mature. My brother would never do something that was stupid or could lead to something very bad. He would always tell me what to do in a good way. For example, once I said we should do soda and mentos but he told me that nothing good would come out of that. Then, we found something to do just as fun but less dangerous. Wesley has always been a mature person and he would never break the rules or put people in danger. He would follow the rules even if his friends do not. He would make good decisions even when other kids are only thinking about fun or might be dangerous.

My brother has had a big influence on my life. He inspired me to play football. Over the summer he taught me the basics and helped me with my skills. Wesley is a starter on his football team and since we both play defense, he helped me get better at that position. My brother taught me workouts that I could do and he helped me practice over the summer. We sometimes went to the gym and ran on the treadmill and elliptical. We would run about five miles then go for a swim. My brother is a great example to me and that’s why I love him so much.

 

 

 

 

 

My hero is my grandfather, Isador Damico. In Newark, New Jersey 1938, my grandfather, Isador Damico was born. My grandfather was very Italian and grew up in a neighborhood of mostly Italian men, women, and kids. As a kid he liked to play with other people in the neighborhood. The grade school my grandfather attended was named South Eighth Street Elementary. Up until he was eight they rented a house. When his grandfather, my great, great grandfather moved to Newark from Italy, they paid for a three family house! When he was a kid he took piano lessons from a blind piano teacher! In high school my grandfather was voted the “most likely to succeed” award. He received a medal and trophy. Also in high school he worked as a veterinarian helper in his first years in high school then became in charge of hiring people at movie theaters at his local cinema. My grandfather says that his best year was probably his freshman year because he got to meet new people. My grandfather’s brother died when he was sixteen from cancer and his sister is still alive today. I think my grandfather is a great man, now I would like to tell you some more things about him.

 

My grandfather, Isidor Damico is very brave. My grandfather was in the army for four years and served on the same ship. He never went to war but had many code reds where they were manning their battle stations. An example was when he was bringing John F. Kennedy’s chopper to a country off the coast of South America. When coming into port there were many guerillas up on the shores who were heavily armed. His ship immediately went to code red. Everyone manned their battle stations. My grandfather was the top gunner on the ship. The ship was on code red for 12 hours before the guerillas left. That’s just one of many examples of my grandfather’s bravery.

 

My grandfather is also very effervescent. He might tell the worst jokes but when the time is right he makes everyone laugh! When my grandfather is around everyone seems to be happier. My grandfather is not just funny, he also plays the piano and organ at his local church. When he plays at church, he takes pride in doing it! Whenever I ask my grandfather for help with homework, or ask him about social stuff, he is always a great listener! The most important thing though is when he is helping me with homework. My grandfather is very smart. He never graduated from college but that doesn’t mean he was not smart. For instance, he is an amazing person with computers. Whenever my computer freezes he’s there to help. I think my grandfather is very well rounded and very intelligent.

 

My grandfather is also very honest. Honesty can be a great quality especially when working. My grandfather believes he has been honest all of his life, even when he was a kid. For instance, while in the court system, a criminal asked him what it would take to get his record cleared. He paused for a second and said, “It would take a miracle to get your record cleared.” See what I mean, he could have said “I don’t know,” or “I don’t care,” but instead he was completely honest with the man. Another example is when he was often asked by lawyers if the could file something after the deadline and get it listed he would always tell them “If I could I would, but I can’t.” Honesty can also be a great quality when used in conversation. I think honesty is an amazing quality and I hope to take after him!

 

I believe my grandfather is my hero because of all these useful character traits he has. In my opinion these are some of the best things a person can have in their vocabulary of traits. When I grow up, I know that I will carry the lessons that my grandfather has taught me throughout my whole life. He is a very nice person and is always enthusiastic. I hope I get most of my grandfathers great characteristics and learn from his example. My grandfather is a great man and a great hero.

 

 

On October 29, 1966 Toby Barclift, my uncle, was born. My grandmother says he was always determined as a little kid. During his childhood my uncle only had two close friends. Of course he had others, but these two friends were his buddies ever since he was born. They’ve been through thick and thin as kids and they were such rebels! They would ditch classes to go to movies that they weren’t allowed to see and of course my grandmother and grandfather punished him for these pranks. But, from pre-k to college, my uncle has never been tardy! If he had to pick one moment in his childhood life that was his favorite, it would be in 9th grade when he first started playing football. The first time he picked up the football he ran all the way and made a touchdown. He won the game for his team and became a hero. He is now a hero to me. This is why he’s my hero. Now I am going to give you some reasons why.

One characteristic my uncle has is that he is always so much fun. Even though my family is always worried, scared, and frightened about my uncle’s return from military service and going to his station, he always comes back with BIG SMILE on his face! Every time he comes home from his station, for about 1-2 years he always comes back with a positive attitude. For example, one time when my uncle came back from Kuwait, he convinced all of our family to go bowling. It was so much fun! We had pizza and drinks and we told the employees who worked there to throw a big celebration for him. They made a cookie cake and we ate it all. It was really good! Everything was all well and fine, except when he tried to roll a strike, he went too far up the aisle and slipped backwards. That is a time we’ll never forget! He would say that was the worst thing that ever happened to him. That will always be one of the funniest moments of my life. My uncle is the most fun person I have ever met.

Another characteristic my uncle has, is being strong. For example one time at our family reunion we were playing tug-a-war. My cousin and I were up against my uncle and we were trying so hard but we couldn’t even move him an inch! He pulled us so hard we fell in the mud! He’s also strong and bravesoldier who protects our country. He can never be broken and I feel safe knowing that he is working for the United States. That’s why I think my uncle is strong.

My uncle also connects with people because he is so influential and passionate toward his work. When people see his uniform they take the time to say, “Thank you” to him. A lot of times when we go to places like the bowling alley, the movie theater, or a restaurant, we see other families who eitherhave lost someone in the war, had a tragic accident while their relative was at their station, or someone who just separated from a family member. When they see us, they see how happy we are and it gives them hope that their loved one will come back one day no matter how long it is. When my uncle goes to far away places like Afghanistan, Kuwait, or Iraq I know that we will have this long distance relationship that no one can break. That’s why my uncle connects with people.

The impact my uncle has had on my life, is that he is always there for me at important events such as basketball games, volleyball games, and dance recitals. His support is very meaningful to me. Sometimes he can’t come, but that’s ok because we usually Skype so that way he can see me even though he’s not actually there. He was also in Iraq looking for Bin Laden, which really scared me and my family, because we worried that we would not see each other again. He taught me to always be patient and to have faith. When he came back home safely, was so relieved. For these reasons and many more, my uncle is and always will be, my hero.

 

In class we all made books about our heroes. My hero is my grandma. Here is my story about my hero.

 

My Hero: Ann Yeakyung Kim

By: Katie Kim

 

My hero is my grandma, Ann Yeakyung Kim. She was born on March 24, 1936. She had a hard life growing up. She had six siblings; three sisters and three brothers. When she was young her youngest sister passed away at a very young age. When she was about my age, she was walking back from school and she saw her uncle being carried away by the Japanese soldiers. She couldn’t do anything about it because she knew that they would take her away too. This was all happening when the Japanese occupied Korea. Although there were some hard times, there were also some good times too. When she was growing up she used to go with her siblings to ponds and rice farms and catch dragonflies, butterflies and little animals like that. She went to a little school, but even though it was small, she still loved it. One reason she loved her school so much was because it was surrounded with so much nature. At her school she was a very good student. She loved to read and write, and that is what she would sometimes do in her free time.

 

My grandma is a hero to me for many reasons but one of the most important is that she is very very kind and loving. Whenever she is here visiting us, she tries to help out as much as she can. She always tries to help take care of all of us including our dog Kriska. She helps out by driving us to our activities no matter where they are. She helps around the house with the dishes, the laundry, cooking and pretty much anything you could imagine. My grandmother was so kind and loving to my grandfather, especially when he was sick. When he was sick, she would go visit him and help him out. To me, she is one of the kindest people that I know, and that is just one of the many reasons she is my hero.

 

My grandmother is also very unique. Not many people I know her age can get up every morning and walk about four miles. I also don’t know many people that can go golfing and walk to all of the holes. My grandma is the only person who will fly for thirteen hours to see her family. She does more that I could ever imagine. She always brings us gifts from whereever she goes. She has tried so hard to get her English pronunciation right and I know that must be very hard for her. She is really unique for knowing several languages. My grandma is always doing something amazing. From knitting to golfing, and anywhere in between. I admire her for how special and unique she is!

 

To me, my grandma is very independent. She is always on her own, doing everything by herself. My grandma has lived on her own for a very long time, and has taken care of herself so well. She takes care of herself the best she can and that takes a lot of dedication. She is always driving on her own and thinking about others. She always buys special presents for us on our birthdays and for Christmas. She does so much without anyone else helping her and to me that is so great.

 

My grandmother has had an impact on me and so many others. She is always so caring, loving, unique, and independent. When I grow up I would like to be just like her and I think many other people respect those qualities in her too. She has encouraged me to help others when I can and to take care of others in my family. She has encouraged me to do what I love to do. Whenever she is here she will always try to take me to gymnastics and that to me is how she shows her support. She does so much for others and that is why she is my hero. I’m very lucky to have a grandmother like her in my life!

 

• When I first heard that we were going to be learning about NASA I told myself “yeah I know about NASA, it’s a space unit or something like that where you launch rockets.” Then I asked myself again, “do I really know about NASA other than that?” So when I looked up some facts about NASA I realized there is more to NASA than I thought. Here is what I found out:
• 1. When NASA was created, it was officially operated October 1, 1958 there were around 80 employees and had four laboratories.
• 2. NASA has two twin robots. Named Spirit and Opportunity, they reached Mars’s surface on March 2004.
• 3. Columbia was the first space shuttled made by NASA. It first took place on April, 1981
• 4. NASA’s first space station was named Skylab.
• 5. The acronym “NASA” stands for National Aeronautics and Space Administration