Shefali Gandhi • 4th Grade Winner
Magellan International School
My fear is something that has existed for a couple of years and I have tried to be brave before but failed. Until today.
My family and I were driving to Kalahari. It is one of my favorite places in the world! Unfortunately, my favorite place in the world also has something that scares me – The Sahara Sidewinder! It is a slide with a giant, sheer drop with crazy curves and one of the worst parts is that you can get hurt if you’re not careful!
I decided that today is the day that I am going to go on this slide.
I had butterflies as we climbed up to the entrance. I looked down to see everybody looking at me confidently. I shakily smiled and waved and then kept going. I watched others go before me, this got some of my nervous jiggles out of me. I decided that nothing would happen to me, except that it would be an experience I would remember forever.
As I stepped into the slide, the fear was back and began to grow and spread over my body. Suddenly it’s my turn and I am standing on transparent glass – this shows me how far I’m going to go! This makes my heart beat so fast that I get dizzy. I close my eyes and think, ‘If I don’t try this, I’ll never know how it feels!’
That made me feel dauntless.
Suddenly the glass beneath my feet opened and I was falling! With gushing water all around me, and twists and curves, the slide wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be! It turned out that most of the fear was in my head.
Today I learned that confidence is the key to bravery!
Makena Ivarson • 4th Grade Runner-Up
Valor South Austin
This summer I visited my grandparents in Japan for our family reunion. Since we all like to do fireworks together, we headed out to the store to buy more. My cousin, my aunt, my little sister, grandma and me. Grandma handed us each 1000 yen to get some treats.
There were so many options to choose from so it took me a long time, but I finally picked out the right one and I was ready to pay.
I needed to find my grandma.
I searched aisle by aisle, but I couldn’t find anyone. “Where did they go?!“ I double checked every single aisle just to make sure they weren’t playing a joke. But they weren’t there. They went home without me!
I found out later that there was a miscommunication between them about who takes who home.
I was furious at this point. But I told myself I can handle this. I knew what to do. I marched straight to the register. Then I gave the lady my thousand yen and she handed me the change.
First objective done, but I still have to get home. It was extraordinarily hot outside. After a few seconds, I was sweating from head to toe. Luckily, I knew which direction to go home but it felt as if it was taking hours.
Why would they leave me? I angrily walked home thinking what a terrible thing to do to me.
Finally, I arrived home and rang the doorbell. My mom opened the door looking surprised. I told her all about what happened and told her how angry I was. My mom was very proud of what I did for paying and coming home by myself. In the end my anger was gone, and I was also proud of what I did.
Reeva Kagitapu • 5th Grade Winner
Harmony Science Academy
The bravest thing I’ve ever done was standing up for myself and the truth, even when I felt completely alone. I had two friends at school: one was the queen bee, popular but quick to throw me under the bus, and the other who never had my back. I stuck with them because I didn’t want to be alone.
Almost every day, there was drama. I tried to speak up, but they always talked me into staying, and nothing changed. I felt angry, sad, and invisible, especially when they swept my feelings under the rug. I was walking on eggshells, afraid to rock the boat.
One day, during a group project, the popular girl blew a fuse and accused the other of leaving her out, even though we were bending over backwards to include her. She twisted the truth and expected me to support her. At first, I nearly did, thinking it might keep the peace. But then I saw the other girl was scared too. She stayed silent because she didn’t want to burn bridges.
So I took a deep breath and spoke up. I laid it all on the line, the bullying, the lies, and how unfair it had been. I stood my ground, not just for myself, but for the other girl too. That day, we both turned the page and walked away from the toxic friendship. We’ve been together ever since.
I learned something huge: being brave doesn’t mean being loud or fearless. It means doing the right thing, even when your back’s against the wall. And when you stand up for yourself, the right people will stand by your side.
Egor Altoukhov • 5th Grade Runner-Up
Harmony Science Academy
One sunny afternoon, I was riding my bike near the park. I saw something in the middle of the road. I thought it was just a rock. But then it moved! I almost fell off my bike. It was a turtle with little flippers instead of feet.
I didn’t know if I could take her home. I looked for her family. I checked the grass, the bushes, and even a ditch nearby. No pond. No other turtles. I got worried because sometimes cars drive here.
I dropped my bike on the sidewalk, picked her up, and started running home. I covered her face with my sleeve so the wind wouldn’t blow in her eyes. She stayed quiet. I think she trusted me. My heart was beating so fast I could hear it in my ears.
At home, I set up a big tank with water and rocks. She swam right away, moving her flippers like a tiny underwater dancer. I gave her lettuce and shrimp. She ate slowly but didn’t seem scared. I named her Stesha. She is very playful and a real music lover. When I play the piano, she stops swimming and listens, almost like she understands the melody.I read that turtles can live 100 years. That means when Stesha is 50, I will be 58! I imagine us sitting in the garden, both old but still friends. I feel proud I was brave that day. And I am happy I have Stesha forever.
