Udit Reddy and Kayle Santangelo’s essays were published in the Feb. 7 issue.
By Staff Report
The annual Gift of Reading program, run by BookSmart Community Advantage, ensures Morgan Hill students have books to unwrap every holiday season.
The 2023 book drive kicked off with the annual essay contest, challenging students to write what they are thankful for. The contest was open to K-12 students in Morgan Hill, with winners selected across six grade brackets. This year’s theme asked students to focus on optimistic thoughts amid difficult world events.
The first place winners are Udit Reddy, third grade, Nordstrom Elementary School; Kayle Santangelo, fifth grade, home school; Katherine Frederick, sixth grade, Britton Middle School; Ava Suares, Live Oak High School; Emma Jeffrey, Live Oak High School; and Ishq Kandhra, 10th grade, Sobrato High School.
Reddy and Santangelo’s essays were published in the Feb. 7 issue.
Ava Suares, 10th-grade, Live Oak High School
Ava Suares
There are lots of things you should be grateful for in life, whether they’re practical or not — the things we’re passionate about are what shape us as people. I know I wake up every day thinking about the things I’m lucky enough to have, while also thinking about the things I’m grateful I don’t have. Personally, one thing I’m extremely grateful for is the opportunities I possess as a student; I’m a creative writer, my mind is always bubbling with new ideas and all I want to do is write them down so I can continue to expand on them, which opens up doors for me such as essay contests like this one, amongst other things like having advanced ideas and perspectives in every subject, not just English, and I get to share my thoughts in my peers and expand on them as a group as well as indulge in high-level literature. I’m thankful for my vast creativity and the art form I exhibit.
Another thing worth mentioning is I’m eternally grateful for music. It doesn’t matter the genre, for my entire life music has done nothing but heal and soothe me in any situation I come across; whether I’m studying and just some background noise to say in focus, or I’m caught in the middle of a stressful time and just need to listen to my favorite comfort artist to calm myself down. Music is written to exert many different emotions, and depending on what I’m listening to, even if it may be considered a sad song, music always lifts my spirits. It’s important to embrace how I feel through other people’s art, especially when I’m having trouble regulating my focus or emotions. Music and the arts aren’t celebrated as much as they should be.
Altogether, I’m grateful for the arts and how I can embrace myself and my creative mind through them. I feel so lucky to have these abilities as I know people can be intimidated by things such as writing essays.
Emma Jeffrey, 10th-grade, Live Oak High School
Emma Jeffery
When you’re 15, you aren’t supposed to believe in soulmates. You aren’t supposed to believe in high school sweethearts, in forever love, in invisible strings tying two hearts together. Because it’s sappy, it’s unrealistic, and you’re too young.
But despite these odds, I believe.
Specifically speaking, I believe in coffee-colored eyes, framed by thick eyelashes. I believe in dimpled smiles and laughter as plentiful as sparks. I believe in warm hands and cinnamon cologne. In “you’re pretty’s” and “I need you’s.” In 12-hour text conversation that stretch long into the night, in video games I’ll never be good at, in fantasies that only brew in our minds. I believe in all these things, simply because I am his, and simply because he is mine, and it took seven months for this to happen.
Soon, seven months will be seven years. And after that, seven lifetimes. You can say I’m only 15, how can I know this boy is my fate? But I see it in his eyes. I see a white gown and pretty pink petals. I see a cozy house and two fluffy dogs. I see many firsts and new beginnings. I see a thousand kisses and a thousand smiles. This is my future. And for that, for him, I am grateful.
Ishq Kandhra, 10th grade, Sobrato High School
Ishq Khandra
“The more grateful I am, the more beauty I see” a line echoed by Mary Davis. Gratitude provides security in the fragile minds of today’s youth, when the world’s fast-moving and disheartening surroundings leave them hollow. Gratitude keeps us aware and humble in this mess, by making us count our blessings. While I have myriad of things to be thankful for, family is a steadfast pillar I hold dearly. Throughout my daily trials and tribulations, my family holds an irreplaceable part in my life.
Family, a word that assures me in times of crisis, attempts to represent all of the impeccable individuals who care for me. A singular word can’t begin to describe the irrevocable love I have for these people, the laughs, and the unforgettable moments shared together. From feeding ducks with my dad, to cooking and dancing with my mom, I grew up in a household filled with beautiful happiness. Even in times of distress, my parents and sister found endless ways to comfort me, and without their support I doubt I would be a fraction of the person I am today. They have built a foundation I have thrived on, who have shaped my every moral, value and characteristic. Beyond family, my friends, caring adults, and mentors have had immeasurable effects on me, and have aided my monumental personal growth. Friends I have held dear since kindergarten, morph into family as I age, and fill every waking second with laughter. Mentors have paved my path, and illuminated right from wrong so I don’t make the same mistakes they once did. Their empowerment fuels my overflowing amount of gratitude.
The words of Mary Davis are evergreen as I, too, now see the beauty in gratitude.
Katherine Frederick, 6th-grade, Britton Middle School
Katherine Frederick
What even is this “thing” we call gratitude? I don’t believe it has a definition. Yes, I’m sure Google can whip something up, but isn’t it safe to assume that gratitude’s different for everyone? For some, gratitude is as useless and unappealing as a speck of dirt. But for others, once acknowledged, becomes something great. While contemplating this thing called gratitude, I realized how much I have in my life others don’t. Such as my books, loving family, and working body.
First, I’m grateful for my ability to access literature. I love to read, and it’s hard to imagine a world without being able to escape into the safe, welcoming pages of a good book. Some people have never experienced the joy of reading, and the fact I’m one who can read whenever, is really something to be grateful for.
Next, I’m grateful for my family. I’ve grown up in a family of seven, so there’s always something there for me. Sometimes, I take for granted having a family, calling it “just a normal thing,” but the truth is it’s not. Nowadays, more families are being separated, and children are being left uncared for. I have an amazing family, and I feel so blessed I can enjoy time with them. Finally, I’m grateful for a working body. I know so many people who live with disadvantages and hindrances, and I’m able to do so many thrilling things that unfortunately, not everyone has in their lives. I’m eternally thankful for a fully functional body.
There is much in my life to be thankful for. For example, a working body, books, and my awesome family. What do you have in your life worth being thankful for?
