Kindness Reigns At Angels Camp Meeting
Angels Camp took time to recognize some real heroes Tuesday night with the traditional presentation of Kindness Hero Essays by students from Mark Twain and Copperopolis elementary schools.
Each year, students at the two campuses select Kindness Heroes as part of the Random Acts of Kindness program, a worldwide effort brought to Angels Camp several years ago by city residents Jim and Judy Bergantz.
The best essays are then selected to be read at the beginning of the Angels Camp City Council meeting.
The program is coordinated by Mark Twain instructors Kathy Casas and Bernadette Smith.
In brief opening remarks before the student presentations, Casas noted she and Smith are lucky because they get to read all the essays.
“We sometimes cry, we laugh, they´re wonderful,” Casas said.
This year´s theme was “Kindness Is A Choice,” and once again proved that Kindness Heroes come in all forms; from best friends to teachers, and mothers to coaches.
In addition to the Kindness Essays, students at the two campuses also sent greetings and gifts to the men and women of America´s armed forces.
This year´s essay readers and their heroes were:
Tyiona Luyster, eighth-grade, Mark Twain Elementary School, Carlee Atkinson. Jesse Scott, sixth-grade, Copperopolis Elementary School, Donna Powers. Jessica Goble, first-grade, Mark Twain, Samantha Goble. Sohee Miller, eighth-grade, Mark Twain, Jackie Ennis. Nick Lujan, fifth-grade, Mark Twain, Leo Converse. Kelly Elrite, fifth-grade, Mark Twain, Samantha Elrite. Alex Morris, second grade, Copperopolis, Colby Westberg. Kristi Chambers, eighth-grade, Mark Twain, Kevin Wychopen. Kaycee Patton, seventh-grade, Mark Twain, Larita Johnson. Janie Bergantz, eighth-grade, Mark Twain, Deanie Pethan. Laura Chraft, fourth-grade, Copperopolis, Tamara Chraft. Breanna Ziehlke, second-grade, Mark Twain, Lori King. Elysa Schulte, fifth-grade, Copperopolis, Gigi Young. Kahale Warring, first-grade, Mark Twain, Joseph Perez. Richie Serva, eighth-grade, Mark Twain, Kevin Wychopen. Donald Degen, fifth-grade, Mark Twain, Dan Perreault.
subhed: Good Samaritan sister
These essays are just two examples of the appreciation shared between the writers and their Kindness Heroes.
Kindness Hero: Samantha Goble, 14
Essay by: Her sister, Jessica Goble, 6.
My kindness hero is my older sister Samantha, because my Grandmother told me a story about Sam when she was 7. When Sam was a little girl she lived in a place in San Diego called Spring Valley. Sam´s friend Tiffany´s dad had left his family and would never come back. Every day Sam would go into the house and ask for a dollar to buy food for her friend and her mom and sister but Sam did not tell anybody that she was buying food for Tiffany and her family. About a week later Tiffany´s mom came to the house and said “thank you.” Our mom did not know what she was talking about, so Tiffany´s mom told our mom what Sam was doing with the money. Our mom was happy to know the money was for something good and not just for candy. This is why my sister is my kindness hero.
A coach and a hero
Kindness Hero: Dan Perreault
Essay by: Donald Degen
Do you know how people say you´re the best person ever? To me that doesn´t mean much. I think being in a kindness essay is a real honor. Mr. Perreault is a great man and deserves this honor.
My basketball coach, Mr. Perreault is always nice to the players. And if a player´s ready to learn he is ready to teach. Every practice I´ve been to (12) he´s used all the players not just the good ones. Mr. Perreault´s daughter, Danielle, also helps out. He and his daughter are always encouraging people and being nice.
My coach also doesn´t say bad things. Like you´re not good. Not one bad thing out of his mouth, only compliments. He´s always helping people. Like yesterday he helped me with my shot, but he doesn´t stop at basketball. He´s always doing kind, kind things for his students, like giving compliments and saying nice things. He also helps with their work.
After a hard day of work teaching, he coaches basketball for an hour-and-a-half. Instead of doing something he enjoys more. Some coaches do everything to win, even cheat. But not Dan Perreault. He wants to win, but not enough to cheat. He wants us to win fair and square. I think it´s an honor to have a coach as great as Mr. Perreault.
A coach like Dan Perreault comes once in a lifetime. He´s a great teacher and a really great basketball coach, I would know. He´s a great teacher because I was in his third-grade class. He´s always making kids laugh and feel good about themselves.
So now you know why Mr. Perreault is my kindness hero, because he shares his kindness with everyone around him. To me that´s what a kindness hero is all about.
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