HALEY MILLER - 1ST GRADE My dad means the most to me. My dad always cares for me. Whenever I am sad he makes me smile and giggle. Me and my dad have so much fun together. My dad is really nice. I love my dad so much. My dad is awesome. My dad is really special to me. My dad works really hard to keep us safe. I met my dad four years ago. He is not my biological dad but he is going to adopt me. I am so excited for him to adopt me. He treats me like his own, and says I am his little girl now and forever. I was with my mom until I was three. That s when my mommy met my daddy. Before she met him I didn t have a daddy. Ever since he came into my life I have been so much happier. I think my daddy really deserves this award.
PATRICK DONLON - 2ND GRADE My father means a lot to me. When I m sad he hugs me. When I m scared he tells me it s all right. Every time I m in something that I ve never done before he encourages me. When it comes to bedtime, he always tucks me in at night. He sits in my chair and he says my prayers with me and then kisses me good night. In the morning he leaves a note on the table, but before that he sets out my clothes and then he goes to work. He works really hard to get more money so he can pay the house bills. When he comes home I always hug him as much as I can. When he makes dinner he makes the best food in the world. Then it comes back to bedtime. I love my dad there is no luckier kid in the world.
CHLOE SCHROEDER - 3RD GRADE My dad works at a can factory. He works hard to support me. Every day he wears his work hat, but he s special because he wears so many different hats every day. In the morning he puts on a cook s hat to get my cereal ready for breakfast. He switches to a bus driver s hat when he drops me off at school. After school he becomes a teacher, quizzing me on my spelling words and flash cards. Some days he wears a mechanic hat if my bike has a flat tire, or a nurse s hat when he pulls a splinter in my finger. I like it when he wears his coaches hat to spot me in gymnastics. His clown hat makes me laugh and laugh and laugh. Can you believe he even wears a hair dresser s hat to put my hair in pigtails? But the hat I love the most is his father s hat. There s no other hat in the world that I d rather have him wear. He s the best dad in the world.
TORI PAPKE - 4TH GRADE My father, Nick, walks in the doorway just in time for dinner. We all yell Daddy! as if it was a competition to see who can yell the greeting first. Our voices sound as though he just came home from a two week vacation, although we saw him just this morning. He sits down and we all talk, and talk, and talk some more. My Dad can really start a conversation, and he can really keep it going. That s just one reason why I love him so much My Daddy means the whole GALAXY to me! I m nominating him for because I couldn t ask for a better dad. I love to have Daddy/Daughter dates. We skate on the ice rink he built for our family in the winter. When dad takes me sledding, I have a HUGE smile on my face! In the summer we go biking. And since it s just us, he ll sometimes let me have ice cream after lunch! It s a blast! What I also love about my dad is that he s one of the funniest people I ve met. He is always cracking jokes, making funny faces, and telling hilarious stories 24-7! Even when I m sad, or angry, he always knows how to cheer me up. If it wasn t for my dad, I would have never learned how to juggle, play drums, ride a two-wheeler, and be the soccer player that I am. And if he wasn t my dad, I wouldn t be Greek, and probably NEVER try pea soup! _ Without Dad, I wouldn t be me. As you can see I love my father more than my dog loves food (And trust me! She loves food!), and more than teenagers love texting! As I like to say, I love him to the moon and back!
HALEY SIMMONDS - 5TH GRADE My father is like the sun on my shoulder, warming my heart with a smile. Whenever I hit a bump on my path he always picks me up and brushes me off. My dad told me never to be afraid because he has made me strong with his love. I have learned to put my trust in him because he told me that he will always be right there by my side through every moment of every day. My father has also taught me other things like how to play sports; one of my favorites is golf. When I was only six, my dad bought me my very own golf clubs for Christmas. He would take me to the park and show me his swing and when I would fail on my turn, he always tells me never to give up. Now when I golf I know that I can be confident in what I do. My dad is my best friend and my super hero. He is always carrying me through the crowd. If I could say one sentence about my dad it would be that he is my leader through life and I love him so much.
DAKOTA KRUMREY - 6TH GRADE My relationship with my father hasn t always been a good one. I have a bigger brother and he always was the one that Dad did all the fun things with. My brother always got to help my Dad with the farm work, and the garage mechanics. I was always considered to be Mom s boy and stayed with her and did things in the house. It all changed when my older brother was diagnosed with leukemia. He needed a bone marrow transplant and was admitted to the hospital. That meant that my Mom had to stay at the hospital with my brother. My Dad became a single parent, trying to work all day and also take care of everything at home that my Mom did. My Dad never did complain even though I know there were times he wanted to. My Dad did an excellent job of being a single parent. On the morning of November 10, 2008 my Mom called my Dad and said we needed to get to the hospital because my brother had taken a turn for the worst. I had never seen my Dad cry, but he did that morning as he said good-bye to my brother, his oldest son. My Dad still was so brave and told me and my younger brother that it was going to be ok and that Austin was in a much better place and he wasn t in any more pain. I can t even begin to imagine how my Dad feels not having his oldest son there with him, but I want to be there for my Dad now. My Dad has been allowing me to do a lot more things. I get to help do more things around the farm. I even got to help my Dad put a transmission in the truck my Dad had bought for my brother. My Dad has been able to keep his sense of humor through all of this. He always has a funny comment and always makes us laugh at the supper table or while we are watching television at night. I really want everyone to know how understanding and great my Dad was during this very difficult time for my family. He worked so hard to keep our family together. He showed more courage and strength than any one I know. He really deserves to be of the year. I only hope that my relationship with my father continues to grow and that we become as close as my brother and he were before my brother got sick. I love you Dad!
ELIZABETH BARTELS - 7TH GRADE When I think about what my father means to me, I realize that most of my special memories and feelings towards him come from the little things he does every day. My father always supports me. He watches me grow up like a gardener who watches his plants rise up into the sky. My father is there when I need support and when I face the obstacles in my life. My father has never saved me from a burning building or an earthquake, but he does hug me and tells me to have a good day as he goes off to work each morning. My father does not buy me expensive or fancy gifts, but he does whisper to me that I am his special treasure, and I know he is speaking from his heart. My does not give up on anything or anyone easily. He believes in hope and believes that everyone has some good in them, even when they do not see it in themselves. My father brings joy into my life every time he walks into it. The thing that makes him special is that he loves all of his children, no matter what. When my father is working on a day that I have a special performance, he takes a vacation day just to see his little girl s show. My father is always willing to help and when he does, he comes with open arms and a faithful heart. I do not know what my life would be like if I did not have a father at my side to guide me. I thank God that I have the chance to grow up knowing my father and to take him as a role model in my life.
NATE HAUGEN - 8TH GRADE He is a role model, a conqueror, a hero and more than that, a father. I think of my dad so highly because of who he is and what he does. He has always supported and loved me. He stands right by my side and promises never to let go. Not only does my dad gloat and wallow in my triumph. He is also there protecting holding me close, during those difficult obstacles of my teenage years. Lessons are learned, relationships are strengthened, and memories are made. Daddy, I called out his name hoping for that response, that assurance of help. I looked through my blurry, tear filled eyes at my stinging knees. I looked beside me to see my shiny blue bike lying down after the long slide it took. Finally, I looked up to see that my call had been answered. My dad was there picking me up from my suffering and distress. I felt safe and secure, as my final tear fell upon my dad s shoulder. I believe that s why dads are here. They allow you to make a mistake, knowing the whole time what you were getting yourself into. They let you learn a lesson the hard way. Then at that perfect moment, they are by your side, ready to pick you up so you can try again. My dad has been there from the beginning, walking with me down the road of life. From my first steps, to my first crush, he s guided me through tough times. I don t know what I d ever do without him. Because of him, I ve become the person I am today. I will always remember the memories we ve made together. I m so proud to call him my father!
BAILEY HANSON - 9TH GRADE A father figure is very important in a child s life. I was fortunate enough to be raised in a home present with my mother and father and my siblings, and I would be a very different person if I wouldn t have had my father s influence in my life. My father has taught me many things. He has taught me many things that will be useful in life, and also to learn by mistakes. The main thing I take from my father is all the things that he has taught me. He has taught me from the earliest years in my life how to ride horses, which I have grown to love throughout my life. He has also taught me to play basketball, ride a bike, and many other things that have to do with farm life. I may not always use the things he has taught me, but I know that they will be useful at some point in my life. My father also is a figure of authority in my life. He s not always strict like he may appear, but when the time is right he will hold his ground and enforce the rules. My friends, family and I always have fun with my dad, but he protects us from any harm. That is a main characteristic of my father, protector. My dad is generous. He will take me to football and basketball games at my school and give me money to occasionally go shopping. He also bought me a new saddle for riding horses because mine was too small. He is also generous in that he will let my siblings and I go out on the weekends or have friends over, he lets us have fun. In conclusion, my father has been very important in my life. He has taught me many things that will be useful in life. He has been a figure of authority to guide me through my life. He has also been very generous in raising me.
JOHN JOHNSON - 10TH GRADE Well, it seems like I never knew my dad, I mean, I never saw him, nor do I remember how he looks. When I was young, I remember a man that I used to be with and he will take me to get some ice cream and to the playground during the summer. I don t remember seeing him during the winter; that s when I missed him the most. I think it was when I was about seven years old, during the summer, I never saw that man again. I believe that he was my father. I couldn t see why he left me behind. I felt alone, cold and un-father-figured. I was raised by my mom. She was like my dad and mom but sometimes the other half of me felt empty back in the day. Every night I sometimes felt that he is looking for me as well as I was looking for him. It s been nine years since I been a single parent child. Now that I am older and more mature, I feel like I am a man for my actions and don t need a father figure anymore. I know for sure when I have a child, I will never, ever leave him alone like I was. I ll be the father like I never had.
VANG PAO MOUA - 11TH GRADE The figure in my life would have to be my pastor because he loves me and treats me like his son. He never yells at me and he gives me the things that I want most. He loves me, he takes care of me. These are the reasons why he is like a father to me. He treats me like his own son. I feel that way because he takes me with him wherever he goes. When he goes to teach about the Bible to other states or cities he takes me with him. He doesn t yell at me when I do something wrong and he tells me how to make it better. He teaches me how to become a better person. My pastor uses the Bible to teach me and he uses the Bible to change me to become a better person. My pastor gives me the things I want most because he wants to let me know that I m like a son to him. My pastor gives me a Bible to study to change myself. He sees many things that I do wrong so that s why he gives me a Bible to study. My pastor gives me respect and he tells me how to respect other people. He uses the Bible to teach me, I have to respect them all the same. My pastor gives me love. That s why he teaches me and tells me to become a better person to myself. My pastor he takes care of me because he wants me to feel like he is like a father to me. My pastor helps me with some things that are hard, that I cannot do. He helps me fix my computer programs that I cannot help myself. My pastor gives me clothing and he buys clothes for me in the winter. He gives to me and he buys me food at the market in winter, too. My pastor treats me like his son. He gives me the things I want most and he takes care of me, that s why he feels like a father to me. He loves me like his own son so that makes me feel like he is my father. I m very happy when I feel like I have a father because when I was younger my father died before I even ever met him.
LISA BENNICK - 12TH GRADE He is my best friend, for he is loyal and never lets me down and knows me best. He is my role model because he is smart and has done amazing things in his life time. He is my headlight in the darkness; he guides me in the right direction and helps me to overcome obstacles. He is my diary; I go to him with all my problems and he listens. I know he will keep all my secrets. He is my bodyguard who will never let me get in harms way, but teaches me how to fend for myself. He is my professor, constantly lecturing about life and teaching me valuable lessons. He is my reality, informing me of the truth no matter how hard it is for him to tell me. He never keeps a secret from me. He is my shoulder to lean on, to support me when I m weak and cradle me for comfort. He is my conscience, telling me the right and the wrong things to do. He is my hope who is always reminding me that tomorrow will be better. He is my hero who saves the day and always puts a smile on my face. He is my father and he means the world to me.