The Grant County Child Protection Team chose six winners in its annual Someone Special essay contest. Winners from grades three through eight read their essay during the local chapter’s meeting Tuesday, April 19. “We had a lot of great essays from our students,” stated Principal Dan Snaza. “We have a lot of great kids and families in our community and it was hard to pick from them.” Each winner received a movie pass and their essay framed for both themselves and the special person they wrote about.
Winning the contest were: Nollen Sheeley (3rd grade), Ava Wienk (4th grade), Tori Jankord (5th grade), Chaz Reinhardt (6th grade), Parker Schell (7th grade) and Brady Femling (8th grade).
Following are copies of each essay:
Nollen Sheeley – 3rd grade
Written about Principal Tim Lease
I am happy to have this person in my life. My special person is Mr. Lease. I picked Mr. Lease because he is nice and caring. He is my principal at Koch Elementary School. I knew him since 1st grade.
Mr. Lease is invaluable. He told everybody how to be good in class. He helps all the teachers in their classrooms. Mr. Lease is a very nice principal. He talks to people when they get in trouble. He teaches people how to play basketball. Mr. Lease helps people do stuff. He is a very smart principal. I wish he would never leave.
Mr. Lease listens to people when they talk. He likes everyone in the school. He instructs people that are new. He taught me how to play basketball. People tell Mr. Lease when they get bullied. Mr. Lease has the school do fundraisers. He keeps the school running. Mr. Lease wants everyone to make it to the next grade. He is going to be greatly missed.
Ava Wienk – 4th grade
Written about her Grandma Nancy
My grandma is someone special because she is so awesome and fun. She is such an awesome grandma and she’s so much fun! My grandma loves animals, she has a lot at her farm. She even likes to go camping like I do.
My grandma’s name is Nancy, she’s getting quite old. My grandma is always going somewhere, she hardly just sits at home. She is such a character. She is a funny old lady. Sometimes I call her granny instead of grandma, which makes her laugh and I laugh too! I wouldn’t want my grandma to change at all because she is amazing the way she actually is. My grandma is so happy when our family comes to visit her once in a while. There are so many words to describe my grandma but I can’t name them all.
The reason why I picked my grandma as my special someone was because I love my grandma so much and she does so many awesome things for me. Grandma’s rule, I’m so happy and glad that I have a fabulous grandma! Without my grandma in my life it would not be as fun as it is now, because I love going camping with her and visit her, and do a whole bunch of things with my grandma.
As you can see this is a very special person to me. I love my grandma so much, I don’t know what I would do without her. She is so funny and fun, and so many other things too! Now I hope you learned some things about my grandma, and you can tell that she’s amazing!
Tori Jankord – 5th grade
Written about her brother – Trey
My brother, Trey, is someone special in my life because I can go with him when I am having a problem. He helps me when I am having a bad day. He helps me when I need advice. He is special in my life because he helps me with homework – like spelling, math and science. He also helps me with IXL math sometimes.
He cares about me and how I am doing. He is funny and makes me laugh. He tells jokes and also plays jokes on me.
If he wasn’t around, I would not have someone to help me with my homework. If he was not around I would not have a brother to make me laugh. He picks me up from school after study club when my mom and dad can’t. I am glad Trey is around to take care of me when my parents can’t.
Chaz Reinhardt – 6th grade
Written about his classmate and friend – Danny VanDover
Hi, my name is Chaz and I am writing a story about a very special kid to me. The person that I am writing about is Daniel VanDover, he has Downs syndrome and he is very special to me. I help him in school sometimes. He inspires me by saying “nothing can stop him because of his disability”.
Daniel is so smart, he is in band, choir, and in my heart every day. Everybody likes him, he is awesome. He runs fast, throws footballs far, and he might be smaller than other people, but if someone picks on him 4 or 5 people are there to help defend him from the bully. After we tell him not to listen to people that try to put you down. What surprises me is that if we were not there he can defend himself against anybody that he doesn’t like.
I look up to Daniel, or down but either way he is like a brother to me. He gives me hugs all the time and I sometimes get to see him outside. Daniel is my life changer – he inspired me to be the same to everyone and to love and care for everybody. He is older than me. He is 13 and I am 12, age doesn’t matter we will have to take care of people no matter what the cost.
Daniel’s nickname that everyone gave him is “Dan the Man that always has a Plan” – we call him this because he finds new ways or plans to help other kids. Say if a kid is sick then Daniel is there to help the person through their rough times. Yes, Daniels has had problems along his journey – through the weird, goofy, sad and mad times he always has time for other people, no matter what it is.
Parker Schell – 7th grade
Written about his grandma – Sandy Schell
The someone special I am going to talk about is my Grandma Schell. My Grandma Schell has always been there for me since I was born. Like when I was younger and my mom and dad both worked at night, she would always allow me to stay at her house as long as my mom and dad needed me too even when she was busy. She was busy a lot since she is a kindergarten teacher.
My grandma is always encouraging me to try new things and she even helps with those things if she can. If I need a ride to a practice or game or tournament my grandma will take me. When I moved to Watertown, SD, she would still drive from where she lives which is one hour away to watch me play soccer.
That is why my Grandma Schell is my someone special. She is always looking out for me and doing anything she can for me.
Brady Femling – 8th grade
Written about his friend – Ian Madsen
My friend Ian Madsen is the special person I’m writing about. Ian always makes me laugh. He is super funny and loves kids. Especially little kids. Ian lives in Sioux Falls right now, but we love when he comes home and comes and visits us. He always has a joke to tell us. It is so fun to go swimming with him because he plays “Monsoon Man” with us at the Unity square pool. Ian also competes in the state Special Olympics practices and watching him and all the other athletes play basketball was so awesome. They did so good.
I chose to write about Ian because he has such a huge heart and is so nice. He always gives the best hugs when we are sad. It was two weeks ago, I had a bad basketball practice and I came home to a surprise. Ian was sitting on the couch talking to my step-dad. As soon as I saw Ian my day went from not so good to really good. We talked for a little bit then ate ice cream cake.
I remember when we took Ian camping with us at my baseball tournament in Watertown. That was so much fun. Even though Ian has some disabilities he overcomes them to be this awesome person he is. He also loves to do puzzles. He is so good at putting them together, and he is super-fast at it too. I love Ian’s impressions of me, a dolphin, and lots of other animals. I love when Ian comes home and I am looking forward to when he comes home this summer and goes to baseball games.
Last summer we went to Wild Water West with him. That was so cool to watch him go down the biggest and fastest slide there. It is so funny going to the movies with him because when it is a good part he claps. Ian is super funny and awesome. That is why he is my someone special in my life.
Staff Writer
