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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. To place a classified ad, call 706-367-5233 Baseball - Softball Private Instruction Available ~ Teams Welcome 600 Atlanta Hwy. t Winder • 770-867-2122 What Gift Will Bring The Most Joy & Happiness This Holiday Season? The Gift of LASIK! Ca l na« and nhlet a LASIK Gift Certificate ynurs&H nr a lived erne Rib holiday seas:*' anc g^'E Ihe q J l d z-ez;. riatu r al vie on. 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