Marlo Harmer of Churchill Jr High and Joshua Johnson of Fox Hills Elementary each received national recognition in this year’s PTA Reflections contest.

The Reflections contest invites students across the country to create original works of art in response a student-selected theme. Students submit their completed works of art in one or all of the available arts categories: Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography, Visual Arts.

This year’s theme was ‘Heroes Around Me,’ and Marlo and Joshua each earned an Award of Merit for film production and literature respectively. Take a look at their entries:

“Unseen Heroes” by Marlo Harmer

“Heroes Around Me” by Joshua Johnson

I sit against the chilly wall on this frosty sedimentary blacktop they call our playground.

“Please don’t make me play”, I plead silently in my head.

I am always picked last, like cold peas on a platter that people pass their plates right by.

I clutch my book tightly in my hand and watch the blood flow reduce my skin tone to a pasty pale color.

It is the third book I have devoured this week.

I disappear into the red brick wall, like the charismatic character in chapter three.

I fade effortlessly away into the literary land whose boundaries are my brain.

You approach me.

You see through my invisibility and ask if I want to play tag.

I hesitate. You don’t.

You say my book can be “it”.

I laugh. You are my friend.

Today you are my hero.

 

I forgot my lunch during the  chaos my brother calls “getting ready for school”.

I went into the lunch room pretending that the growling grinding groan was coming from the heater,

not my empty stomach.

You noticed me and inquired about the location of my brown bag.

I hesitate. You don’t.

You instruct me to input my nine number, even with no money in my account

and grab a tray of fruit and pizza .

You are my lunch lady. Today you are my hero.

 

I show my mom around our classroom  and  we sit at  a tiny table that  only fits my frame.

My goals, my scores, my missing assignments

You share it all.

You tell my mom I have trouble saying my R’s.

Hot salty tears tear down my face.

I cover my eyes with my hands, like a shield deflecting spearing stares.

I drop my head onto the table and beg my body not  to weep.

You touch my shoulder softly and say “Joshua, did you know that your reading level is 12.9?”

You ask me to look up.

I hesitate.  You don’t.

 

You explain that my reading skills are gifted and sometimes sounds like “R” take longer to develop for kids like me.

You are my teacher.

Today you are my hero.

 

My heroes are around me every day at school.