The theme for summer reading this summer is "Every Hero Has a Story." Sometimes, I think we only think of superheroes when we think of heroes and stories. However, my hero with a story happens to be that of World War II hero, Louie Zamperini. His incredible story was documented in the book Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. Mr. Zamperini's life story reads more like an action story as he competes in the 1936 Olympics, survives 47 days at sea in a life raft after surviving a plane crash and then spends years in a Japanese POW camp. Page after page, I found myself thinking how incredibly brave and strong this man had to be to endure the hardships that he endured. I also began to redefine my definition of a hero. It's not always someone with a superpower or the strongest or the most good looking. The heroes are the people living around us who survive despite hardships. They are those who do good just because. They are those whose stories inspire us.
As part of summer reading this summer, we invite you to share your hero stories here. You can share about a really awesome literary character who is a hero, a real live person who is a hero and whose story you read, or you can share about a real person in your life who is a hero. Each student who posts their hero story here over the summer will receive a small surprise from the Learning Commons when we return to school in August. We can't wait to hear your stories!