3B Essay Winners | 2018

3B Winning Essay "What JFK Means to Me" By Tomer Zilbershot
Can you imagine a world where black people can’t go to the same schools, water fountains or restaurant as white people? John Fitzgerald Kennedy helped to change that, he wanted freedom and fairness for all people, all around.
JFK was in the Navy because he wanted to help fight for freedom. He carved a message in a coconut after a Japanese destroyer crashed into the PT 109. JFK carved the message with his pocket knife. Two natives came, JFK gave the coconut to them in the small boat. They gave the coconut to their leader that spoke English. The leader said that they are friendly. JFK Saved his crew’s lives and won two medals for his bravery.
Another time JFK saw that black people didn’t have equal rights or the same freedoms as white people. In one of his speeches he said “One hundred years of delay have passed since President Lincoln freed the slaves. Yet their heirs, their grandsons, are not fully free.” JFK made a bill (law) all black and whites will have the same rights.
Another time JFK fought for America’s freedom was during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Russia was putting missiles in Cuba pointing at America (Only 90 miles from Florida). People from America were scared that the missiles could create war. JFK stopped the Cuban Missiles Crisis and kept us safe and free.
Without JFK, life would be unfair for all. We need to think about the things he did to change the world and make it fair for all.

 

3B Runner-Up "What JFK Means to Me" by Garfield Branche
People still remember John Fitzgerald Kennedy, JFK, today because he was so brave. He was brave as a kid, as a sailor, and as the 35th President of the United States of America. You will learn a lot about JFK’s bravery in this essay.
At JFK’s inauguration he was serious, he was brave, and he was strong. During the inauguration he made a famous speech. The Speech he made was serious. He worked hard to write his speech. He was very brave because a lot of people were there at the inauguration watching him make his speech. He took his time making the speech. JFK was very courageous. He was talking seriously to the people. He was telling them that they shouldn’t keep asking the country for things for them, they needed to change and ask what they could do for their country. I think it was brave of him to tell the people that they needed to stop asking for things and they needed to start asking what they could do to help.
Another example of JFK being brave was when the Japanese Destroyer hit his Navy boat, the PT 109, and sliced it in half. JFK had to gather his crew. It was very important that when the boat got sliced he didn’t panic. He was brave because he swam for miles to get everyone to safety. He bit one of the hurt sailors’ life jacket strap so that he could swim and pull the man to safety. JFK was brave enough to swim for miles and miles to try to find someone to help him and his men. He was also brave just to be in the Navy and fighting in a war. It took a lot of time to save his group but he did it. He was brave to be a leader because he was in charge of other people and making sure they are safe.
A final example of JFK’s bravery was when he worked with Martin Luther King. They tried to make everything fair they didn’t want people judged by the color of their skin. They worked together to get the Civil Rights bill into law. To make a law like that you would need to be very brave. They bother worked very hard to make things change. Some people didn’t want the change but JFK made sure it happened. They were both brave people to decide to do this. They helped a lot of people.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was a very good man. He was a very brave person. He would help others all the time. He was a very good president because he was so brave and always took his time. This is why I think people still remember JFK today.