Bridging the Generations: An Elder I Know
2015 Celebration
The Institute on Aging and Oregon Gerontological Society sponsored the 9 th Annual Essay Contest for 4th and
5th grade students of Portland Public Schools. An awards celebration was held at the Multnomah County
Hollywood Library on May 16, 2015. This year, there were 62 entries from five different schools. Judges from
the Metropolitan Family Service Experience Corp were tasked with the challenge of selecting the top essays.
These volunteers are retirees who share their time and expertise working with students in Portland Public
Schools.
Students had 500 words to write about an elder they know, someone 60 years or older. They wrote not only
about grandparents, but also about influential neighbors, music teachers, family friends, and even doctors. In
these essays, students described the important role of these elders as sources of unconditional love,
inspiration, knowledge, support, and, of course, fun times. At the celebration, some students were
accompanied by the elder they wrote about, which was quite moving for all who were involved. As the
winning students read their essays aloud, the positive impact of this experience was warmly felt. The winning
essays are highlighted below, followed by excerpts from all entries.
1st Place: Stella Blaha, “My Grandma” | Brian Erbach,
Woodstock Elementary
“She has inspired me to do many different things; including
always helping those that are less fortunate than yourself and
standing up for what you believe.”
“My grandma has taught and inspired me to do a lot of little
things that add up to one thing: LIVE.”
2nd Place: Victor Huynh, “An Elder I Know” | Brian
Erbach, Woodstock Elementary
“I always feel cheerful when she is around and especially when
she is teaching me.”
“When I grow up, I will try my best to be the person that my
grandma taught me to be, a great person.”
“My grandma is more than just a grandma. She is my hero.”
3rd Place: Sean Lee, “A Special Friend” | Brian
Erbach, Woodstock Elementary
“My Opa has taught me many important lessons about
nature and exercise and together we’ve had countless
wonderful experiences!!”
“He was the one who persevered and kept encouraging
me to keep going and never give up all that long hard
journey to become a fluent reader. During that process
I learned many life skills from him, like perseverance,
hard work and never giving up. But the most important
lesson was to appreciate reading.”
Honorable Mention: Ian Song, “Carol Sindell and Music” |
Brian Erbach, Woodstock Elementary
“Whenever I lose my confidence, she assures that I am very lucky
with such talent and convinces me to practice harder.”
“I will put my heart in whatever I choose to do, and I will pass Ms.
Sindell’s teaching, passion, and spirit to others and my next
generations.”
Honorable Mention: Madelaine Coney, “Nana
Banana” | Cindy Dulcich, Beverly Cleary Fernwood
“She is funny, she is kind, she is creative, she is a lot of other
wonderful things, but most importantly, she is my grandma.”
“I value our relationship, because now I love art, cooking, book
making, and going on adventures. I might still love all of those
things, but I wouldn’t have the great memories that make those
things special. That is why I love and value our relationship so
much.”
Quotes from other students
Inspiration
Bramwell Collins was inspired by his grandfather’s perseverance. He said, “I am influenced by Lyn mostly
because even though he dropped out of college, and was drafted to serve in a war, he still pursued his dreams
and directed his life to be the life he wanted to live. I am influenced to also pursue my dreams, like he did.”
Gwen Murray wrote about her grandmother. She said, “She also taught me to treat life like a blank page that
you are writing on with a permanent pen. You chose what you write just like you chose what to do. If you
want to write a good essay you do the best you can; if you want to do well in life you do the best you can so
you have a good story to tell.”
Emily Rask’s grandfather taught her that “You’re never too young to make an impact on the world.”
Learning
Lexy Marshall wrote about her grandfather. She said, “He has taught me right from wrong, and left from
right”
David Harnett wrote about what his neighbor taught him, “She has taught me to keep going even if everyone
around me has stopped. She has taught me to be generous to people even if you don’t owe them anything
and she has taught me to stick to my guns even when the odds are bad.”
Eleanor Courcelle wrote about her “third grandmother,” a neighbor named Jeri. She says, “Jeri has a magical
green thumb – that’s only partly true, as most of the time her thumbs have brown potting soil on them. I’ve
learnt much from her vast experience of growing and nurturing plants.”
Henry Stroud wrote about his grandmother. He said, “She has taught me so many lessons, but the biggest
lesson she has taught me is to be kind and respectful to everyone.”
Melina Jacklet wrote about her grandmother, who was a science professor. Melina said, “When I go to her
house she often tells me about the things she taught her students, which started my love for science.”
Nate Treat wrote about his Grandpa Robert. He said, “He’s really good at tic-tac-toe. In fact, he taught me
some tricks one day. I would tell you those tricks, but I can’t because they’re secret.”
Role models
Kathy Nguyen wrote about her doctor who she says was like a second mother. Kathy said, “She was my role
model. She showed me that helping each other brings joy to others and to you.”
Flannery Ross recounted his grandfather’s experience as a global ambassador. He said, “As he helped the
world he helped me.”
Maya Sykes wrote about her nana, Maria Quina. Maria sponsored Maya’s mother so she could become a U.S.
citizen. Maya wrote, “Maria is an inspiration to me. She didn’t give up in trying to get to the United States and
she has achieved her goal. She teaches me to never give up no matter how many roadblocks that I come
across.”
Livia Reiner’s Grandpa Charlie, who lives in Florida, calls her every week to chat about her life, school, and his
life. She said, “This has given me knowledge for when I’m a grandparent and it has helped me with friendships
from how to make them to how to keep them
Help through hard times
Kamalei Doswell wrote about her grandma. She said, “She is there to comfort you when you are sad.”
Jonathan Plaat wrote about his father. He said, “He loves to play basketball so much that after two hip
surgeries and hurting both his ankles and his back playing basketball, he still goes to all the practices and
games he can get to. This has made me learn that always do something you love to do no matter how hard it is
for you.”
Clara Sams talked about her great grandmother. She said, “She had taught me to be brave, even when I was
scared and sad. She gave me a reason to get up when you have been pushed down.”
Having fun
Sadie Kloeppel wrote about some of the times she spent with her Papa. She said, “We would play fun games,
or games that I made up. I would try to cheat and Papa would let me. We would also read together, but I
didn’t want him to read with me. I wanted Papa to read his own book, so I could read my book.” She talks
about the fun they have when she visits him in Ocean Shores, “Papa and I go swimming, play at the different
parks, and walk on the beach. My favorite thing to do is volunteer at the Food Bank.”
Skeet Starr talked about his great grandpa Tom’s practical jokes. He said, “Being around him always makes me
happy.”
Jake Rubenstein couldn’t choose just one elder to write about, so he talked about the fun he has with both of
his grandparents. He said, “They make me laugh when we make pizza and I get to make a mess of their kitchen
with flour.”
Being loved no matter what
One of the reasons Eric Su’s grandmother is special to him is that she is always there for him. He said, “If I ever
get bullied, blamed at, framed at or even attacked, she’ll always be on my side.”
Andrew Core wrote about his long-time baby sitter. He said, “Stephanie has always loved me, and she is
always telling me how much she does. Over the years, she has always told me stories about how great I am.
With her support, I feel I could do anything.”
Iris Thompson talked about her grandma Patsy. She said, “She is kind and comforting and listens to everything
I say, even if I am annoying. She’s good at helping me with my problems, even if they’re totally weird or not
even a problem at all.”
Suzy Mesecher wrote about her grandpa. She said, “I wouldn’t trade him for a million dollars because I love
him. If someone shipped him away to China, I would find a way to visit him.”