EVERYDAY HERO - And THIS is what happened on my dad's birthday.........

                               Channel 7 EVERYDAY HERO

May 1^st

Around 9 this morning, a typical weekday morning, I went off to Mountain View Elementary School to talk to Ms. Laurie Rondou’s class of  2^nd graders, as part of their science time. I knew they were going to be joined by students from Cherry Valley Elementary School that I visit each week. “They’re going to share their science time with each other,” I was told.

I get to Mountain View and I'm greeted and then told by Drew, the principal, that he was going to have a really busy day as he was expecting a lot of visitors. I took that to mean that I needed to do a quick session with the kids and then push off. I was ok with that, thinking that I would take a walk out in the countryside.

As I head towards the classroom, I bump into Ms. Jan francis, the teacher from Cherry Valley, and she tells me that her kids were being brought by their parents in cars -  and then redirects me to the library. “Don’t go into the classroom,’ she says, “Laurie's kids are finishing off some work from yesterday.”

I do as I’m told and go into the library where I see a table full of small blue cakes, red cakes and white cakes. “Must be someone’s birthday,” I mutter to myself. I sit down, and await the larger than usual audience of students. This won't take long, anyway, I think, 'cos I know I'm just there to welcome the kids. About ten minutes later, around 9:30, in come Laurie's 2^nd graders. There all dressed in white. Why is that, I wonder? Oh, the cakes.......must be somebody's birthday today.

The kids sit around me, full of smiles, and already wanting to show me rocks and twigs they’d collected, and, just killing time, I begin to tell them about the little mouse, caught by my tomcat, Bertie, that bit my finger yesterday when I tried to save its life.

I look up and I see loads of MV teachers smiling at me...........ok, they must be going to Drew's important meeting.......

Then, the library door opens and in come the Cherry Valley children accompanied  by their parents, and they join the kids seated around me. They're all dressed in red..........Mmmm.....what's going on?Then, before I can say more than 7 words, I’m surprised to see another class, 5^th graders from North East School, appear, led by Jeannine, my wife. What IS  going on? I wonder, as I see them all dressed in blue!

Suddenly I’m very aware that all eyes are on me and that I have a library full of kids and teachers and other adults. Wow! Didn’t expect this, I thought. Hey, hey, ne’er mind. Get going, JP, tell a story.

I tell everyone that it’s Arthur Charles, my dad, 103^rd birthday. To celebrate, I take a large wishing rock from my bag and ask the kids to help me send a special wish to my long departed father. I hold  up high the big wishing rock (found on penzance promenade beach last year), I stroke it, and ask the kids to close their eyes. 

Bless them and their cotton socks, they do.

In absolute silence we  send my dad, Arthur Charles, the BIGGEST wish, we me thinking, if only he would walk through the door………..

OK, move on, JP.

Holding a bottle quarter filled with water, I tell the boys and girls that, as there are so many in front of me,  I want to capture the young scientists atmosphere for ever. Laurie kindly brings me a small dish and holds it under the dish……I turn the bottle upside down and take off the lid………..and, wouldn't you know, flippin' 'eck, the water splashes all over Laurie’s blouse…………so sorry, Laurie, I mumble…..she laughs out loud.........I quickly put back the lid, telling my audience that I have captured the air, the excitement,  and their brain power, in the jar, FOREVER!

Hey, hey. That done, I pull a pocket museum from my bag, and, slowly, open it. It’s an old OXO tin my dad had buried in our garden way back in 1949 – one that I dug up again in 1996 when I knew I was moving to the States. The kids' eyes are wide open as they look inside the very old and very rusty OXO pocket museum.

As I show the kids what’s inside, ( 1942 - my birthdate - and 1949 pennies, a fossil, a seashell, one of my grandfather’s clay marbles, and a chicken wishbone)  in walks a smartly dressed fella wearing a shirt and tie, and I think to myself, hey,  he must be one of Drew’s important visitors. I wonder why the all-dressed-up gentleman sits to my right as I continue talking to the kids. Must be killing time before he sees Drew, I suppose........

Wish I knew, though, who he was. Obviously from Douglas County Administration.

Then, then, I hear a noise to my left, and................and, surprise, surprise, in comes a TV cameraman………………….with Drew. My brain goes into overdrive. I continue telling a story, thinking that there was some filming project going on about the school…….hence the important fella sitting to my right.............hope I’m not in the way……….but the cameraman, sets up his camera and, and……………and aims the camera at my chair and starts filming me!

Whatever is going on?

The man in the white shirt comes over and introduces himself. He’s from Channel 7, he says, and he’s making a film for a series called, Everyday Hero, and the program is about……….me!! Me telling stories to kids......

Mitch (that's his name I learned later)  presents me with a beautiful framed Everyday Hero certificate.

Crikey………my mind is a whirl…………there's a horde of tiny flies buzzing in my head..........catching my breath, I thank him, and I sit down again and look at the kids. They smile broadly and give me a heart-touching loud clap. HEY!! They KNEW all the time!! THEY knew!!!!!

One of them asks if I will tell the tale of Radjel the fox………………I’m flustered, and I stumble through the story, telling it really, really badly……..hey, hey. Well, ok, c’mon, it ain’t every day you have a TV camera and a hundred pairs of eyes staring at you. T'ain't easy, you know.....:)

Drew, bless his cotton socks,  saves my bacon. When the story comes to an end, he steps forward and thanks everyone for coming…….

I look up and receive a big hug from Jeannie, Jeannine's principal, and then I see neighbors Kim and Carol! THEY knew about it, too? Uh.........! :)

And the red, white and blue clothing and cakes? Well, that's to celebrate my impending citizenship meeting when I become an American - June 5th.

An hour later, I'm interviewed by the fella in the smart shirt and tie, then Drew, the principal, Jan, and a few kids are interviewed, and I’m told that the program will be shown at these times:

Sunday May 17^th at 10:00 p.m.

Monday May 18^th at 11 a.m.

Saturday May 23^rd at 5 p.m.

Sunday May 24^th at 7:00 a.m.

Thursday May 28th at 11 a.m.

And will be on the Channel 7 website for about a month, starting May 19^th.

IF you have nothing better to do, you might want to take a look!!!!!!!!! 

I might……………

But, my question: HOW did so many people, adults (especially Laurie, Jan, Jeannine and Drew) and children, keep such a secret for such along time?

Hey, hey…………..Flippin' 'eck, life’s never dull, is it? Well, it ain't when you have a pocket museum handy and a wishing rock...........

John

Laurie, Jan, Drew, Jeannine and kids - you made me feel SO proud!
BLESS YOUR COTTON SOCKS!!!!!!!!!!