Praise for everyday heroes
Published: May 25, 2006
To Joey Spera IV, a hero is courageous, willing and protective.
Joe Spera III joined his son on Wednesday night at Gateway High School’s third annual “Power of the People,” where students had the opportunity to praise their everyday heroes.
Principal Dr. Ronald Davis conjured up the idea to Instructional Supervisor for Language Arts and Social Studies, Mike D’Ostilio, and the event has proven to be inspirational for both students and their heroes.
Administrative assistants Christine Minot and Bernadett Ford collaborated to get both students and their heroes together for the “Power” show.
“We sit around with a box of tissues and read these (essays),” Ford said.
Social studies and language arts teachers in grades seven through 12 had their students write an essay about their hero; the students had the option to decide whether they would want to attend Wednesday’s event and share their essays with their heroes.
Then Minot and Ford sent letters to the homes of both the students and the heroes.
Students gathered and read their essays to their heroes prior to watching as their peers stood at the podium to read aloud. Everyone didn’t read, but each hero was recognized as an outstanding member of their community and the Gateway community.
Heroes traveled from as far away as Jersey Shore, Pa., and Fort Myers, Fla.
Spera IV stood in front of the cafeteria and conveyed his feelings about his father. A union boilermaker, Spera III is most noted for his volunteer job at the Colonial Manor Fire Association in West Deptford.
“He saves lives and he helps me through life,” said Spera IV, a seventh-grader from National Park. “He teaches me how to build things and remodel houses.”
Spera III said he tries to spend as much time with his son as he can and lead by example.
“It makes me proud of him that he listens to me,” Spera III said. “Sometimes you say things to kids and you don’t think they’re listening, but (this shows) me (our conversations) weren’t going in one ear and out the other.”
Tara Gee, an eighth-grader at Gateway, spoke about her grandfather, Albert Belish, who was a police officer for 26 years in Philadelphia.
“He’s always been there for me,” said Gee. “I don’t get to see him much anymore because he lives in Port Richmond (Northeast Philadelphia), but I spent most of my time with him from when I was born until I was about 7.”
Gee also praised her family friend, whom she considers her uncle, Gary Skerski, a 15th District Philadelphia police officer who was killed during a bar robbery on May 6.
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