Father of the Year. Essay Contest. Washington Nationals WINNER KEON CAISON - 1ST GRADE

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1 KEON CAISON - 1ST GRADE When I want to play, me and my dad go outside and ride my bike. When I am hungry, we go in the house and grab a snack. Our favorite is pizza, but I don t like the meat. Then we play games and watch football. Sometimes he helps me with my homework and he tells me if something is wrong. We play games with each other. I like to play the motorcycle video game and that is what I choose when we are in my room. Then we take a turn in his room and play a wrestling video game. Once he took me fishing during the summer and I caught 5 fish, but then I put them back in the water. Sometimes I get to go to work with my dad. It is a lot of fun because I get to help with exterminator stuff. But some of the bug pictures scare me a little. He gets mice out of our house. One time he lost his blue truck because the engine wasn t working. Then he got a white truck from his company. I like riding in his trucks.

2 DWAYNE WILSON - 2ND GRADE I think my dad should be the father of the year because he is an awesome person and father. My dad means a lot to me because he is always there when I need him most; when I am getting in trouble by my mom. He is a very hard worker. He works six days out of the week to provide for his family. He is a very honest person. He taught me to tell the truth, even if you are going to get in trouble. He taught me to be strong. Never cry unless you have a reason. My dad said to put God first and everything else will follow. He teaches me on and off the court. He said that life is like basketball; you have to be a team player and things may not always go as planned. My dad has showed me that even if you lose someone close to you, you have to love the ones who are still here. My dad lost his mother May He was very close to his mom; she was his best friend, beside me, my mom and my brother. He was really sad; he said that we were the only reason he made it threw. These are just some of the reasons why I know my dad is the father of the year. I know my grandmother is in heaven, so proud of her son. Because I am here on earth and I am very proud of my dad.

3 KENDRA BROWN - 3RD GRADE My father is strong. Once when I was helping my dad clear out the trunk in our car, he lifted heavy bags. The bags were too heavy for me! My father is fun. It was a snowy day in second grade, and I had to make a decision: either to go to a party or stay home with my dad and play in the snow. I picked playing in the snow with my dad. We made snowmen, snow angels and had hot chocolate. My dad and I had fun. My dad is kind. He s not just kind to me, he is also kind to other people, too. What? You wonder how? Every day my dad says, Hi! to people. He even gives rides to people. This is how my dad is kind to me! He helps me with my homework, buys me food and toys, and lets me sleep in his bed when I have nightmares. My dad is smart. Sometimes, when my dad drives me to school, he asks me math equations. He tells me if I m wrong or right. When Mrs. Jensen tells the class to study for a math test, he helps me practice the things we have to study. He gives me a check if it s right and an X if it s wrong and explains it to me. My dad is nice. I think my father is nice because every summer vacation my dad might take me to New York, Florida, or the beach. We have so much fun together. When I went to Florida, we went to Disney World. When I go to Disney World I go to different parks. I ll name them: Magic Kingdom, Typhoon Lagoon and Universal Studios. I love my dad!

4 REMY SLIMP - 4TH GRADE My dad is the best! He serves as my coach for millions of things and has been a great leader. He is an amazing basketball player and without him I would never be playing basketball right now. Besides that, he has geared me up for baseball, soccer and football. But more than anything, he has geared me up for life. My dad is the President of TD International (TDI). He helps foreign countries, mostly in Europe, with their governments. Right now he is helping the leader of Ukraine protect the country from Russia s bullying. My dad has taught me how important it is to stand up for myself and to look after the little guy. He tells me that it is my responsibility to do that too. My dad teaches me manners. He was born and raised in the South where manners were very important and he is strict with me about them which is a good thing. Some of the things he tells me are to eat like a gentleman ( no elbows on the table! ) and how to talk with adults. He wants me to learn these things so that I will be a good citizen and a good guy. But what I like best about my dad is that he is my best friend. We love to do normal stuff together like hanging out and wrestling, watching TV and playing video games. We ve also take trips together and he has shown me everything from the mountains of Utah to his hometown in Louisiana. At night, before I go to sleep, we talk about things that are important to us like his job or my days at school. It makes me feel safe. That s how it is with my dad and me.

5 JOHNNY ANDREWS - 5TH GRADE I have a wonderful brother named Blake, who is like a father to me. He is unselfish, thoughtful, responsible and reliable. He is a college student at University of Maryland. In the summer, he works as a lifeguard for Bethany Beach Patrol. Blake is unselfish and thoughtful in the decisions he makes. On November 1, 2005, I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. My brother, Blake was scheduled to leave for University of Hawaii to attend school, play lacrosse and surf. This was a dream he had for many years. After I was diagnosed, my brother stayed by my side to help me learn to adjust and control my Diabetes. He put off going to Hawaii for 2 semesters to help me. During this time, my parents separated and then divorced. When my dad chose other things, my brother chose me. Blake has supported me through the changes I faced. In July 2008, my family moved to, DC. While attending University of Maryland, Blake has regularly come home to be with me and my family. He goes with me to doctor appointments, Insulin pump training and other things. He supports my new school community and has made friends with families at Blessed Sacrament. He has encouraged me to be a good student and live in God s love. Blake is a person with integrity. He shows kindness and compassion towards others. He always offers to help others, volunteer at my school when needed, and help my grandfather and great-grandmother. He is honest and teaches me to think about my own choices and to do the right things. He teaches me through example to be a good person. He is a role model and father figure. I am thankful for my brother. I am proud that he makes sacrifices for me. I count on him and love him for all the things he does for me and my family. I am going to be a good person like my brother, Blake.

6 MICHAEL WATTERS - 6TH GRADE My dad, Keith Watters, should be named because he is a living example of acceptance, forgiveness, and of our duty to care for the sick and the elderly. When my dad was young, he had a difficult childhood. He was raised in New York City. His parents separated when he was ten years old. He and his brother went to live with their mom. Eventually, he went to live with his dad because his mom said she could not handle him. When he was living with his dad he kept running away from home, so a judge decided he would have to live somewhere else. His parents put him in a children s home where he lived from the age of ten until he was eighteen years old. Even though my dad had a hard childhood, he has still been able to accept and to forgive both his parents for the mistakes they made. His mom is now 86 years old, has Alzheimer s disease, and lives with us. Some days it s really difficult to deal with but he wants to take care of her at home for as long as possible instead of putting her in a nursing home. His dad was recently sick and he went back and forth to New York many times until his dad was released from the hospital. I think my dad should be because he has taught my family and me about acceptance, forgiveness, and of our duty to care for the sick and the elderly. Even though his parents were not the best parents, he has still been able to move forward with his life, to have a family of his own, and be a dedicated son to his parents.

7 COLLEEN O BRIEN - 7TH GRADE What my father means to me? Those six words bring countless ideas, events, and love into my mind. My dad, Jim O Brien, is my role model because he both inspires and teaches me to be the best I can be. One example of how he does this is homework. Whenever I have a problem in any class, he ll help me to understand it in a way that I won t forget. Along with his knowledge, my dad is very funny. Once when my mom went away, my two brothers and I were eating all of our pickles, so as my mom was pulling into our driveway my dad gave us cups filled with pickle juice. My mom was so thirsty that she took our pickle juice thinking it was water and drank it. We all still laugh about the story. My utmost favorite part of my dad is his sense of humor. Another story is four days before spring break my dad surprised us with a trip to Jamaica. Both he and my mom knew but they kept it a secret for two months. I love my dad and I couldn t imagine life without him.

8 CHRISTIAN STEPHENS - 8TH GRADE Hello! My name is Christian Stephens, and I m here to tell you about my father figure. I attend Stuart-Hobson Middle School in D.C. My father figure is my big brother, Charles Edward Stephens Jr. My big brother is an excellent role model for me because he is on the honor roll, gets straight A s, never got arrested, and he is an excellent person. So sit back, relax and get ready to read about my brother. The frustrations I have with my brother are, sometimes he gives me a little bit of an attitude. I mean I know he wants to be alone sometimes, but he doesn t have to give a HUGE attitude with it. He also kicks me out of his room sometimes, but sometimes, he may have a good reason, but I mean he needs to look at it from my point of view. I only get to see my brother for holidays or even in the summer or on one of his breaks. And plus my brother also keeps me out of his life. Like when he goes outside or if something happens, he never tells me, he just closes his door in my face. And when I ask him to play with me or even play a sport with me outside sometimes he says no or that he s just to busy. Some joys I have with my brother are, when he teaches me new things like sports, or something in math, or a new Spanish word for my 8th grade Spanish class, or even how to do anything differently. I also like when my brother helps me with my homework, because it shows that he actually cares about me enough to drop whatever he s doing to help me out. And another joy I have is just hanging out with my brother in general because he is just really fun to be around. A special memory I have with my brother is my entire life. My mom and my father divorced when I was really young so my brother is that father figure role in my life. A second special memory is when my brother lets me hang out with his friends and him and also when he takes me places. I also like just being with my brother, he s the best father figure in my life. Thank you for reading about my brother.

9 D MANI PARKER - 9TH GRADE What does my grandfather mean to me? He is a strong black man who served as a loyal patron to the U.S. Army. He was a good father to my mom and my aunts and uncles. He has 11 grandchildren including me who he spoiled and treated them as his own. Even though I have very little memory of him looking in his eyes alone was inspirational. If I had one wish it would be to bring him back and spend more time with him. I ve heard a lot of great stories of my grandfather. We both share a love for music. He was a disc jockey (D.J.) in which I aspire to follow in his footsteps. I also want to follow in his steps by serving my country in the U.S. military. As I said before, even though I have a very fond memory of him he is still a very inspirational, admirable and strong-witted person. I want to start a program for children that have lost a loved one in the military, because it is one topic dear to my heart. Even though they might not understand they are still sad and hurt inside, a program that would counsel them and show them they are not the only ones. My grandfather, even though he had died in the army has inspired me to help people with parents in the military. I also have a friend who has a mom in the military and when she talks about her mom leaving, her eyes tell me her true feelings. I see the devastation and tranquility in her eyes. I just would love to help people as my grandfather did.

10 DE WAYNE COBB - 10TH GRADE My father is a provider and a strong black man. I appreciate my father because I know people that don t have fathers. My father taught me right from wrong and good from bad. He talks and teaches me about life; he s preparing me for my life. My father is not to be my friend, but my father. Even though sometimes he feels like giving up on me, he always comes back and tries to make it work. Even when I do wrong after wrong, he still comes back. He is teaching me how to be responsible, mature and, most of all, how to be a man. No matter how many times I mess up, he still tries to give me guidance. He s the perfect father and I need to do more to show my appreciation.

11 TONIQUA ADAMS - 11TH GRADE My father is a mature human being that works hard to keep me happy and satisfied. He does his best to make sure I have everything I want and need. He s always on his two feet working, cooking, cleaning, and providing for me to make sure I have the necessities such as clothing, shoes, my hair done, and any extras that I may need. My father is a single parent working even hard to make sure my two sisters and I are happy and have a smile on our faces. My father is my inspiration; I look up to him because he s been in my life since day one, and it just makes me so proud to know that. I m also thankful to see his face everyday; it s a blessing. My father keeps me motivated and inspired to attend school, make good grades, and work hard to reach me goals. He wants me to be something in life. He makes sure I stay on the right track. My father and I have great times together. We go shopping, go out to eat, and spend quality time with each other. He always makes me laugh, and I love when he tells jokes and shares with me how his day goes and all his adventures at work. My father and I have a very strong bond. I can talk to my father about everything. He s very understanding and he s always there to give me advice and tell me right from wrong. My father and I may have our disagreements, but no matter what the situation may be, we always stick by each other. My father helps me to stay strong and organized. He also makes sure all of my health needs are taken care of such as going to the dentist and the doctors. I don t think my father needs to change at all. I love him just the way he is. That s why he means so much to me.

12 2008 ADRYEN JACKSON - 12TH GRADE My mother, sister and I walked into the cold, dark house. The electricity had been turned off. My father walked in shortly after and immediately tried to fix the situation. I need to send this homework, was all I could say, while my parents stumbled around in the dark. My father said he would take me to his job but by the time we reached the car, he said, Can I take you to the neighbor s house? I can t leave your mom and sister by themselves. I admired his selflessness and I teared up at my own selfishness. My father noticed my tears and when I told him how guilty I felt, he simply held my hand and told me, Everything is going to be fine. He managed to wipe my tears and hold my hand all the way to my friend s house, all while driving. This is my father, the man that will do anything for his family. Should anything happen to my father. If my mind simply drifts in this direction my heart chokes. I love my father. He is my source of strength, my support system and the best man in my life. He is tenacious and when you look into his eyes, they narrate his life. My mind often wonders to our heartfelt conversations where he confides in me and tells me things he is uncomfortable sharing with anyone else. He comforts me when I am wrong. He tells me when he is proud of me. He says, I love you, whenever he can. Three hundred words cannot nearly cover how I feel about my father, but I am proud to say what my father means to me is everything and nothing will ever change that.