1 Florida Panthers Hockey Player — During a recent Dallas Stars game, a puck landed on the Florida Panthers bench. One of the players gave it to his 7-year-old grandson, who was sitting with his father, even though he was wearing a Dallas Stars jersey. A great example of sportsmanship and kindness that will stay in the boy's heart forever.
Bettina Lang, Dallas/Turtle Creek
2. Ashley Garcia — Re: “Carrying the load takes the load off — Dedication in the classroom and on the course leads to Garcia’s caddy scholarship,” Sports Day article, March 17.
Ashley Garcia is an 18-year-old high school senior who receives full housing and college tuition subsidies as a golf caddy. She is the first woman in Dallas to be awarded the Evans Scholarship through the Western Golf Association Caddy Academy and the first woman in her family to graduate from high school.
Although she had to live far from home to caddy for golf every summer, she said it was a good experience meeting new players and making new friends.
After reading her story, I felt inspired about what she did to have a good high school experience.
Sophia Cortez, Farmersville
plain junior high school student
3 Plano Citizen Fire Academy — Several times a year, the City of Plano sponsors a 10-week Citizens Fire Academy. This class is held every Thursday night for three hours at Plano Fire Station 1 on K Street. The Plano Fire Department Auxiliary Support Group is bringing in all kinds of goods to feed hungry participants and firefighters.
This class is a hands-on, in-depth look at fire science, firefighting techniques, and equipment, taught in an open forum with lots of interaction and questions. A good instructor will interact with the audience to get their point across.
The academy is punctuated by field activities on Saturday, which include riding in a firetruck with firefighters and additional hands-on training driving a firetruck with a hose.
There was a solemn moment in one class. It was raining heavily with thunder and visibility was poor. Suddenly, an alarm sounded, and firefighters scrambled around, donning their gear and manning engine trucks. Up close, it's a ballet between fireman and machine.
Within seconds, the garage door opened, emergency lights blared, sirens blared, and Engine 1 pulled out onto K Street and headed south into the night. Silence fell over the group, all of us with our own thoughts as we stood in the empty bay. Mine was a silent prayer for the fire and the firefighters running towards the unknown.
We would like to thank the city for hosting this class in honor of our firefighters.
James Sherrard, Plano
We welcome your feedback in a letter to the editor. Please refer to the guidelines. Submit your letter here. If you have any problems with the form, you can email it to: Letters@dallasnews.com
