Newspaper Page Text
Page 8A
The Braselton News
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
School
TAEKWONDO CHAMPS
Taekwondo medalists and Junior Olympians Tyler Mineo and Glen
Feller are planning a trip to the Beijing Olympics to watch the 2008
U.S. Olympic Taekwondo team compete.
MCHS students planning trip to
watch 2008 Beijing Olympics
Students get special gift from soldier serving in Iraq
LETTERS FROM IRAQ
Eric Sweet, Madison Blackstone, Christine Park and Daniel Chung hold the letters they received from
Spec. Christopher Hobbs. The students, along with teacher Carol Clyde, are standing in front of the
flag sent by Hobbs.
SPEC. CHRISTOPHER HOBBS
BY KRISTI REED
Mill Creek high school fresh
man, Glen Feller, and junior,
Tyler Mineo, have been compet
ing together for the past nine
years. As part of their Taekwondo
team, the two have traveled to
several local, state and nation
al competitions, including the
Junior Olympics.
Now, they arc preparing for
their most exciting trip to date,
a competition which they will
attend as spectators not fighters.
Feller and Mineo are making
plans to attend the 2008 Beijing
Olympics to watch the United
States Taekwondo team com
pete.
Feller and Mineo decided
to attend after being taught
by Olympic champion Steven
Lopez.
“We went to one of his clinics,”
Mineo said. “Steven has won at
the Olympics twice. He is one of
the best in the world. We trained
with [Steven and his team] and it
was really cool.”
Feller said he and Mineo
became interested in the United
States Taekwondo team after the
2000 Olympics.
Two of the clinics we went to
had two of the high up Olympic
people there. It really sparked a
lot of our interest,” Feller said.
“Assuming that everything
works out, we’ll be watching,”
Mineo said. “Steven (Lopez) has
already made the team. This will
be his last and third Olympics.”
Feller and Mineo are no
strangers to Olympic competi
tion. Both have competed in the
Junior Olympic Games.
Mineo is a three time gold med
alist at the Junior Olympics. He
won gold in the 2004, 2006 and
2007 games. This year marked
his fifth time competing in the
annual games.
Feller has only been to the
Junior Olympics once, but he did
not come away empty handed.
Feller was a 2005 bronze medal
ist.
Both Feller and Mineo have
received numerous medals at
other competitions. At last year’s
national competition, Feller and
Mineo’s team won a total of 15
medals.
Although the two will travel to
next year’s Olympics as specta
tors, both hope to go someday as
competitors.
“Ever since I saw Taekwondo
in the Olympics, I have wanted
to do it,” Mineo said. “I’m really
going to try to work and shoot
for the 2012 team.”
Feller is more reserved about
his competitive ambitions.
“I’d love to go to the Olympics,
but I think that might be a little
bit out there,” he said. “I would
love to push hai'd enough to get
there and I’m trying to. It’s not
easy.”
For now, both are simply enjoy
ing the sport.
“I just like to be able to get
out there and let everything go,”
Feller said. “I get to just go out
there and do what I like to do.”
BY KRISTI REED
Mill Creek High School teach
er Carol Clyde and the six stu
dents in her special education
class recently wrote several let
ters to Specialist Chris Hobbs, a
young soldier currently serving
in Iraq.
Clyde learned about Hobbs
through her daughter, Emma.
Emma and Hobbs attended the
University of West Georgia
together. Hobbs joined the
Army two years ago, and he and
Emma have remained in touch.
Clyde and her daughter thought
Hobbs would enjoy receiving
mail from home. Clyde also felt
the project would help her autis
tic students.
Clyde’s students are part of a
self-contained special education
class at Mill Creek High School
where they learn life and job-
related skills.
Five days a week, the students
work at a grocery store, restau
rant, church or the Gwinnett
Public Library. The students
are not paid. They work up to
two hours a day to learn job
skills and what is appropriate in
a job environment.
In addition to life and job
skills, the students also receive
academic instruction.
“As part of the functional
academic curriculum, I wanted
them to learn how to write let
ters,” Clyde explained.
Clyde helped each student
write an individualized letter
to Hobbs. Student Eric Sweet
wrote about his upcoming 17th
birthday. Madison Blackstone
told Hobbs about a recent trip
to South Carolina. Christine
Park wrote about her summer
trip to Savannah and Daniel
Chung told Hobbs about his
recent move from California.
“Chris wrote every single one
of them back an individual let
ter. He responded to what they
had written him and he sent
them all a flag patch,” Clyde
said.
Student Eric Sweet said he
wanted to write a letter because
he thought Hobbs might be
homesick. Park said she enjoyed
reading Hobbs’ letter and would
like to meet him. Chung said he
really liked his flag patch.
Blackstone said she felt very
good about getting Hobbs’ let
ter. At the end of her letter to
Hobbs, she wrote “PS-I hope
you come home safe.” She was
pleased when at the end of his
letter to her, Hobbs wrote “PS-1
will try to come home safely.”
Enclosed with the packet of
letters was a full sized American
flag. Hobbs, an aviation crew
chief on a Blackhawk helicop
ter, included a photo of him
and crewmates Anthony Leon-
Guerrero, Matthew Mahoney
and George Rabb holding the
flag while standing in front of
their helicopter.
Hobbs also sent a certificate
explaining the significance of
the flag.
According to the certificate,
the flag accompanied Hobbs
and his crewmates on seven
missions over the Iraqi cities of
Baghdad, Tikrit, Balad, A1 Kut,
Ar Ramadi and A1 Fallujah.
Hobbs listed the dates of the
missions and had each of his
crewmates sign the certificate.
In his letter to Sweet, Hobbs
wrote “The flag for your class
was flown on your 17th birth
day. I truly hope it was a spe
cial one”.
Clyde was so touched by the
effort Hobbs made to respond
to each of her students and the
effort he made in sending the
special gifts, that she decided
to make contact with Hobbs’
mother, Janet.
“Chris’ mom is also a spe
cial education teacher,” Clyde
said. “So, I looked her up and
emailed her to tell her what her
son had done for us.”
“His mother wrote me and
said [Hobbs] is a very caring
young man,” Clyde said. Janet
Hobbs also sent a photo of her
son which is now on display in
Clyde’s classroom.
Clyde and her students are cur
rently planning a special shop
ping trip for Hobbs. The class
will be purchasing Christmas
presents with money they raised
by selling Chick-fil-A biscuits
during final exam week last
year. The students are very
excited about the trip.
“We’re going Christmas shop
ping for Chris,” Blackstone said.
“We’re going to get him a phone
card, beef jerky and DVDs.”
Clyde said Hobbs is a special
young man and she is grate
ful to him and others currently
serving abroad.
“No matter if you support the
war or not, you have to support
these young men and women,”
Clyde said.
Clyde said she was very
touched by a letter Hobbs sent
to the class. The letter reads
in part:
“My name is Christopher
Hobbs. I am 22 years old
and I was born in Douglasville,
Georgia. I joined the Army
March of 2006 and I am cur
rently deployed in Iraq. I work
on a Blackhawk helicopter as a
crew chief,” he wrote.
Hobbs thanked each of the
students for their letters and
said he hoped they enjoyed the
American flag patches he sent.
His letter continues:
“Enclosed is a flag for you
to keep in your classroom that
flew in my vest on seven com
bat missions in Iraq. I do hope
that you enjoy everything I have
sent. I thank you for your sup
port. You, your family and
your class are in my hearts and
prayers. God bless you all.”
The American flag Hobbs sent
is proudly displayed in the front
of Clyde’s classroom along with
Hobbs’ picture. It serves as a
daily reminder to Clyde and her
students that a special young
man is serving his country and
appreciates their support.
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