Hope. Dream. Become.
Expressing emotions in a healthy way helps us see the world for what it is and, more importantly, how we choose to engage with it. Check out these young poetry winners from the WPSU poetry contest in Pennsylvania.
In classrooms across the country, students returning to fall assignments find themselves befuddled by the most daunting homework assignment: write a poem. Read Story
DO WRITE
Winning at the Game of Life.
College football player gives up his scholarship to make more possible for a teammate.
No team wins every game. And, like the game itself, sometimes life feels unfair. For most student athletes in all sports, the support they get from their teammates is what helps them get through the challenge of balancing work, school and athletics. Read Story
STAND AND DELIVER
Family of 7 Adopts a Grandpa.
Friends come in all shapes, sizes, and ages. But love is universal.
When Sharaine and Wilson moved their family to Rhode Island, they already had a houseful. Five kids, a hectic schedule, a long list of house projects and a whole new neighborhood meant little time for anything else. And then Paul showed up. Read Story
FAMILY
Getting 100 on her Final Exam.
Nola Ochs went back to college at 95 years old. At age 100, she had earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees and was still taking classes.
Nola Ochs was born in Kansas in 1911, one year before the state amended the constitution to recognize women’s right to vote. Back then, Kansas was a patchwork quilt of counties traversed by roads and railroad tracks all converging in Kansas City. Read Story
LEARN AND LEARN SOME MORE
Bear with Me!
The story of Wojtek the bear, who joined the Polish Army in WWll.
Young soldiers, far away from home and missing their families, discover a bear cub. That’s how the story of Wojtek begins, back in 1942. He was alone in the mountains of Iran; nobody knows how he got there. Read Story
CREATE JOY
From Homeless to Johns Hopkins.
Life is never fair. But if you work hard enough, and help someone along the way, you give yourself a better chance to make it.
Chris Smith looked like any other young boy in his class: bushy hair, a wide smile and enough freckles to charm a grandmother out of a whole jar of cookies. He played sports, working his way onto the football and wrestling teams. By all appearances, life for Chris was the same as it was for a hundred other boys in the small town where he grew up. Except for the constant evictions, living like a squatter without electricity and eventually being homeless. Read Story
DETERMINATION
To the Coaches of Pint-sized Athletes.
All year round, you’ll find brave dads and moms standing in the rink, on the field and in the gymnasium — surrounded by eager eyes and short attention spans. Here’s to the volunteers in our communities who teach our kids life lessons and never forget the orange slices.
From New England’s cloudy skies to the parched fields in Arizona; from the early morning ice rinks in Minnesota to the sandy pitches along the Oregon coast, a myriad of sun-screened, whistle-blowing, down-parka-wearing, sore-footed coaches brave the weather and sacrifice their afternoons to tribes of budding athletes. Read Story
COACHING
Taking the Fear Out of Surgery.
How one doctor helps children face their hospital fears by dressing them up as superheroes.
Surgery is scary enough for any of us, but when you are a child, and everyone is bigger than you, it can feel like a nightmare. That’s why it matters so very much what happens before, during and after treatment — especially when what happens includes a bit of humor. Read Story
BE SUPER
Understanding Our Universe.
In a suburban neighborhood, the angst of the world still reaches a group of elementary kids. Bob stares at the stars with them and explains the universe and how there is order to everything.
Max and his friends worry about the future of the world. They are 9 years old and not immune to the constant barrage of television news about war, the lingering pandemic, the anger in the airwaves. Read Story
LOOK UP
The Mistakes We Learn From and Build On.
Every year, a handful of students in prisons across America take stock of their lives and make changes. Many earn their diplomas, ensuring better options and choices when they get out.
About 44% of criminals released in the United States return to prison within the first year after their release. It’s all part of a pattern: Their lives often reveal a series of bad decisions influenced by their environment, including disrespect and disregard of laws. Read Story
BE YOUR OWN HERO
Rescuing a Vessel — and a Family’s Memories.
A boat at the bottom of the lake for 30 years and a renewed appreciation for life when it is restored.
Brian and Bobby Ogan were boating with their two toddlers and a niece on Lake Powell 30 years ago when a sudden storm exploded from the canyons. High winds drove the waves to oceanic heights. Read Story
RESCUE SOMEONE
Bee Productive.
17-year-old Gloria Barron Prize winner Anna Devolld is helping small things make a difference: Pollinators.
Anna Devolld likes creepy crawly things in the garden. And buzzing, fluttering little creatures in the air. That’s because Anna is passionate about pollinators. Read Story
BE A LITTLE MORE
The Last American Explorer.
Norman Vaughan trekked Antarctica with Admiral Byrd, completed the Iditarod 13 times and climbed the 10,000-foot, icy mountain named after him at age 89.
Some people are just made for adventure. The early explorers, who subjected themselves to privation, unknown elements and territories unheard of, left volumes of tales that inspired the next generation. But as the world became smaller, the wild ones who lived by their instincts began to thin out. Read Story
ADVENTURE
To All who are Lost: You will be Found Again.
The amazing story of the missing marathon runner who turned up 54 years later.
We all have started on some task or set a goal for ourselves that we didn’t complete. Sometimes we lose interest or don’t have the willpower to keep going. And sometimes, we just forget about the task and move on, not seeing the purpose of it all — that is, until something stirs us inside, and we go back and feel the joy of finishing. Read Story
IT'S NEVER TOO LATE
From First Response to 11 Years of Friendship.
How EMTs saved a life and then enjoyed living it together.
Ask any first responder, and they’ll tell you the hardest calls you will ever get are those that involve a child. Many EMTs put their hearts on the line when kids are hurting. Read Story
