A few weeks ago, the students in Mrs. McGonigle’s Grade 7 class at Park Avenue School wrote excellent stories about their Hidden Heroes. I have got as many as possible in print by selecting excerpts from several stories.

Many wrote about their parents and three featured one of our former Hidden Heroes, Larry Cooper, who coordinates the community football program at John Barsby Community School.

Mrs. McGonigle told me that as her students began focusing on Hidden Heroes, she noticed the behavior of several of them improving for the better – a result that any teacher would appreciate.

Here are just a few of the students’ stories.

Dylan Peltz wrote: “The reason I picked my dad, Tom Peltz, as a Hidden Hero is because he does a lot of things for my sister and me. Like when I wanted cable in my room, he ran it all the way from downstairs. Another example is when I only had mattresses for a bed; he went out and bought me a new bed frame. When we got home, we were missing pieces so he took the time to go back out there to get them.

“When I needed help painting my room, he got the paint and helped me paint it. When I needed to put hard wood flooring down, he helped take every thing out and put foam and wood down. Another reason I picked my dad is because he really cares about my education and whenever I have a problem, he will sit down with me. I can talk to him and he listens.

“Thanks for always being there to help me dad. I love you.”

Jesse Jabs chose his Grade 6 teacher, Mr. Schlitz, as his Hidden Hero, “… because he always encouraged others and me to do our best. Even if he was busy he would always set time aside for us. He made learning fun and always found new ways and strategies to help us learn. We rarely ever used textbooks for anything. Instead, he would teach us new games for math, spelling, business and much more.“

Katriana Tarala’s Hidden Hero is her mom. “My mom, Tanya Tarala, is a hard-working, heart-warming, loving person and definitely family-oriented,” she wrote. “She works at supreme building Maintenance and she is liked by all the people she works with.

“She is honest, patient and reliable. She is fun to be with, she has a good sense of humour and she is definitely smart. She always helps me with my homework and she puts it in a way for me to understand. We had water fights when I was younger and she always comes to my track & field events and soccer games. SHE IS THE BEST MOM EVER!”

Sydney Baker chose Kaylynn as her Hidden Hero because, “She always makes me laugh and I always feel comfortable around her. When my sister ran away, Kaylynn was there for me to make me laugh. You could almost say that I wanted to be around her then more than I did my family. She always had some kind of great news that made me feel more comfortable about my life. I hope you have a friend like her.”

Taylor Dorfer’s hidden hero is his dad, “… because I found out that he has started this thing where he gives his friend $20.00 each month. Plus his other friends also give him $20.00 each month. They do this because he lost his eyes from playing with fire works about two years ago and he's having a hard time. My dad loves to help others when they need it.

To read more heart-warming stories from these students, go to www.nhero.org and click on “Student Stories”.