Students' hero worship spotlighted on web

Lisa Williams’ Title I second grade students at Wauseon Primary School are featured on the My Hero website. They are (front, from left) Jayden, Webb, Alyssa, Madison, Taydan, (back, from left) Braxton, Donald, Cody, Gabriel and Joseph.

Lisa Williams' second grade students can tell you real heroes come in all shapes and sizes and from many backgrounds.
As part of school projects for both Williams and her Title I class at Wauseon Primary School, dad, moms, relatives and Williams herself were heralded as the children's true-life heroes. And through brief essays and illustrations extolling their extraordinary qualities, those heroes are now immortalized on a global website dedicated to spotlighting their stories.

"I hope that it taught them some appreciation for those special people in their lives," Williams said.

As a Bowling Green State University student working on her Master's degree in Classroom Technology, Williams was assigned a dynamic media project. Her professor suggested a contribution to My Hero, a non-profit organization begun in 1995. Its global website, myhero.com, is self-described as using media and technology "to celebrate the best of humanity."

Williams thought it was a perfect project she could also incorporate into her second graders' curriculum.
"I was hoping to find something that would engage them on a higher level," she said.

On March 14, she introduced the students to the website, and asked each to write a story about and illustrate someone in their life they consider their hero. She explained that the chosen person must affect their life positively, and must be someone they would like to emulate.

As preparation, Williams shared stories with the children of her own choice, her grandfather, Theodore Roosevelt Dexter. A carpenter who helped build high-rise hotels in Las Vegas, Williams described him as a colorful, loving man with a zest for living.

"He was an adventurer. The thing that impressed me most about him was that he was a very busy man but he always had time for my brother and me," she said.

She showed the students photographs of Dexter and wrote a story about him as a model. A singer who has released a couple CDs, Williams included "A Song for Grandpa," an original piece she performed at Dexter's memorial service in 1983.

In days to follow, the students wrote stories about and drew pictures of their own personal heroes, mostly mothers, fathers, grandfathers and aunts. One student surprised Williams when he insisted, "I want to write about you."

A student named Braxton wrote that his grandfather "is my hero because he keeps me safe, loves and helps me."
Another student named Madison wrote: My Mom Luanne teaches me, spends time with me, and trusts me."

The tributes by the students and Williams were handwritten, then the stories and illustrations were submitted electronically to the myhero.com website. Williams told the students not all stories were used, and she could not promise theirs would be selected.

Within two weeks, however, she received word that all of the stories and illustrations, hers included, would be featured. My Hero representative David Kemker told Williams her students' contributions embodied the spirit of the website.
The students got an unexpected bonus when they received My Hero T-shirts May 18.

Williams said she hopes the project taught them not only about appreciating people in their lives but about the rewards of hard work.

"I wanted them to come away with the whole work ethic thing - when you dig in and do your best. You were willing to do the work, and look, there was a payoff," she said.

One of the project's greatest benefits was the kudos the Title I students received, Williams said.

"The kids don't get a lot of recognition because they struggle. I really saw just a big sense of pride in them," she said. "They had recognition that nobody else in the school got. I hope it's something they never forget."

To view the stories online, visit myhero.com and click on the small magnifying glass icon at the top right corner. Then type "Wauseon."