Recognizing the Heroes on the Other Side of Our Forest

A worthy objective to pursue

At Sabot at Stony Point, we recognize the spirit of  Martin Luther King each year in a day of service to our community. We learned that Mr. King rallied for citizens to unite and work together to build a more gentle world. The Kindergartners considered their community and a worthy objective to pursue.  

“We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education. The complete education gives one not only power of concentration, but worthy objectives upon which to concentrate. ” 

Martin Luther King

This year as a part of our Umbrella project, we explored our city of Richmond on several occasions and returned to school with new understandings of the way a city works.  We noticed that there are people who offer help to the people living in the city.  We identified many community helpers including policemen, firefighters, hospital workers and ambulance drivers. We were told that the firefighters serving our school community  lived at the end of a path in the forest.  The children were eager to find them and bring them gifts. 

We began our long hike through the forest wearing party hats with the intention to celebrate our community helpers.

Service to others cannot  wait.

“Not everybody can be famous but everybody can be great because greatness is determined by service."

Martin Luther King

While many of us still plan to be a princess or a race car driver when we grow up several of us are beginning to think that it would be nice to be in a position to help others someday. We were about to realize how serious firefighters are about helping other people.

After walking forty minutes through the forest, we arrived at the firehouse  only to hear the sirens blow, the doors open and the firetruck race out. The children were both mesmerized by the trucks departure and also in disbelief that the firemen left as we arrived for the celebration.

The event made a big impression. Service to others occurs when there is a need or  a person requires help. The fireman have a duty to the community. This duty takes precedence over all other commitments that they might have at the moment....like having a celebration with a Kindergarten class.

 Practicing Gratitude

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?"

Martin Luther King

 A group of children wrote a letter to the Firefighters expressing their hopes for the day.

Dear Firefighters,

We are the kindergartners from Sabot at Stony Point. We are going to give you a gift and a party on Martin Luther King Day. You are a hero. We want you to “Keep the job up”`. Thank you for saving our community by putting out the fires.

We want to take a tour, too. If we come would you show us around the fire station and fire trucks? May we go inside the fire trucks? Please tell us yes.

Kindergartners spend a large amount of time pretending to be superheroes. They fight against bad guys and protect people. Riding in a huge red truck with lights and noises fighting fires and saving people is not far from what the children play each day on the playground. The Kindergarten recognizes this work as important and dangerous. Medals are awarded to heroes so it made sense that medals be made and presented to the firefighters. They also brought a basket with fruit, cookies, popcorn and cards. 

Firefighter Boomer commemorates the celebration with a picture. The Kindergartners continue to wear their celebration hats after presenting Boomer with his hero medals.

The Firefighter Heroes shared their house and big truck with us. We saw their tools like the jaws of life and an ax. We sat in the big truck and were surprised to see that they have television sets in the firehouse. 

We left the firehouse feeling like we understood the life of a community helper a little bit more and gave these heroes a reason to smile for an hour.