Good afternoon, everyone,

    I'd like to introduce my friend Christy to you all. Christy is a great example of how one person with1can make her dream a reality, so she should win the Student of the Year Award. Christy loves to ride bikes. She does not just ride along city streets,2. She is interested in3 trail (小路) rides. 4 Christy knew that people who love riding had to travel5the city to find good bike trails, so she6 to do something.

    Christy knew that Roosevelt Park had a clean, lively creek(小溪）7 through it. 12 miles of land around the creek was8used. Christy decided to get together with other trail9 to ask the city council to10 a bike path along the unused land. Christy 11a petition (请愿书). She and other riders asked all of their biking friends if they would12 the list, and they gathered 300 signatures. The city council evaluated the13 and, more14, agreed to build the bike trail.

    The15took two months of work, and now Roosevelt Park has a16bike trail. It has many ups and downs; it is a great ride. This trail is becoming one of the community's important17 spots. I can't 18 with Christy when we ride together, but I am glad that she decided to work hard to begin the19 of the Roosevelt Park bike path. Christy20this award because she acted on her dream, causing a community to come together.

    Thank you!

    Jenna, a popular girl from Westwood Middle School, had graduated first in her class and was ready for new 1 in high school.

    2, high school was different. In the first week, Jenna went to tryouts (选拔赛) for cheerleaders (拉拉队队员). She was competing against very talented girls, and she knew it would be 3 for her to be selected. Two hours later, the 4 read a list of the girls for a second tryout. Her heart 5 as the list ended without her name. Feeling 6, she walked home carrying her schoolbag full of homework.

    Arriving home, she started with math. She had always been a good math student, but now she was 7. She moved on to English and history, and was 8 to find that she didn't have any trouble with those subjects. Feeling better, she decided not to 9 math for the time being.

    The next day Jenna went to see Mrs. Biden about being on the school 10. Mrs. Biden wasn't as 11 as Jenna. “I'm sorry, but we have enough 12 for the newspaper already. Come back next year and we'll talk then.” Jenna smiled 13 and left. “Why is high school so 14?” she sighed.

    Later in 15 class, Jenna devoted herself to figuring out the problems that had given her so much 16. By the end of class, she understood how to get them right. As she gathered her books, Jenna decided she'd continue to try to 17 her new school. She wasn't sure if she'd succeed, but she knew she had to 18. High school was just as her mom had said: “You will feel like a small fish in a big pond 19 a big fish in a small pond. The challenge is to become the 20 fish you can be.”

    As I was taking a walk with my mom, I asked her, “Have you taken the senior bus yet?” I held my breath as I waited for her1. “Oh, yes. I have,” she said. “How was it?” I said the words as2 as I could to show my excitement, even though I sensed the answer was not going to be 3. She sighed heavily, “No one ever4 on that bus. They all sit there quietly and look sad. I only see about thirteen 5 old ladies and men.” My6 for her situation grasped my stomach.

    My dad had recently passed away, and his sudden leave made my mother7 and frightened. For fifty-seven years, my dad had walked by her side. Mom never learned to 8, so Dad drove her everywhere. Now, her wheels were gone, as one grandchild so properly9 her situation. I knew she needed great 10 to make the decision to take the senior bus. However, I firmly believed the11 wouldn't last too long, for Mom was so outgoing and active that she could chat with almost everybody whom she met in the street.

    Several days later, when I came to visit her, I asked, “Do they talk to you now?” She12 and there was a sparkle (火花) in her eyes. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the 13 had changed. “It was silly that all of us just sat there14 saying a word. So one morning when I 15, I greeted them and then remarked that what a nice day it was. Soon, they began to 16 and we chatted happily. Now we are friends and always have some good 17 on the bus, ” she replied.

    My mother held the key to the 18 of the other lonely people on that bus. A smile and some 19 words were all it took. She sowed tiny seeds of 20 for herself and her friends on the bus.

    In the United States there was an unusual tale telling of the daughter of a mechanic (技工). One day while walking along the bank of a lake, the girl 1 to see 20 eggs laid by a wild goose. After some time the girl 2 the mother would not return to her eggs and she 3to take them home. There she carefully 4the eggs in the heat of a lamp. Several days5the eggs broke and the baby geese came into the 6.

    Geese are known to take the first living thing they see as their mother.7, to these young geese, the girl was their mother.

    As they8, the girl was able to 9 her birds to run across the grass, but she could not teach them to 10The girl became increasingly worried about this, both when 11and in her dreams. Later, she had an 12: She would fly a plane to guide them I 13She asked her father for a plane and he assembled (组装) a small aircraft for her.

    Caring about 14 safety, the father decided to fly the plane himself. However, the birds did not 15or follow him, and 16slept in the grass.

    One day, the girl 17into the plane, started it and soon left the 18 Seeing their mother take to the air, the birds 19 flapped (拍打) their wings and 20. She flew the plane freely in the sky, her young birds following.

    Jason, our son, was born with cerebral palsy（脑瘫）. My wife and I often comforted him as he faced many 1 in his early years.

    It was 2 to see him regularly chosen last for baseball, but his most 3 time came when he began high school. One afternoon, Jason returned home in 4 and shouted: "I'm never going to school again!" He was 5 with food that other kids had 6 him on the school bus on the way home. Jason later told us what had 7. A few days earlier, Jason had 8 up for the school running team. That day, a few older students made 9 of his performance on the track. I called the headmaster about the 10, and it never happened again.

    One day, as the other kids exercised in the gym, they 11 one lonely runner-Jason jogging around the snow-covered track. A few weeks later, Jason said to me, "Dad, I was ready for the 12. He added that each month, each student 13 an "athlete of the month" and voted for the 14. Jason's name had never been 15. But that day, one student said: "Sir, I would like to propose Jason for athlete of the month. "The coach looked 16. "He works harder than any of us, Sir," the student continued. Tears 17 in Jason's eyes as everyone in the class put their hands up. We, also in tears, looked on as he 18 displayed his certificate.

    Whenever I despair, I think of this story. I 19 myself that challenges are not overcome by 20, but by patience, determination, and faith.

A few notable moments from my most recent volunteering at the Children's Hospital never escape me.

After we had 1 with the nurses, Dr. Tiny and I went to our first room, inside which were a mother and a two-year-old boy. This young boy was 2 on the bed, jumping up and down. Mom looked at us with a sense of expectation and curiosity. She was trying to calm her son, but she couldn't. Dr. Tiny 3 his tool and waved it through the air creating bubbles (肥皂泡) in front of the child. I had a 4 with me. I started to play gentle, 5 music. As we did this, the young boy watched the bubbles with his eyes, and began to rock 6 gently to the music. He slowly reached out his hand to 7 the bubbles. We glanced over at the mom and noticed that she, too, had become 8 .

Later, we walked into another room at the Emergency Department. The patient was a teenage boy who had met with a terrible 9 , leaving him unable to sit up. 10 , he could raise his head with 11 to see us as we entered the room. He saw our guitar. "Play me a song," he said, "The Red Nose Reindeer."

I quickly adjusted my guitar, 12 my throat, and began to sing, "Jingle bells, Jingle bells, Jingle all the way…" The patient looked up with a look of 13 . With a smile, he said, "Play The Red Nose Reindeer, please!" Dr. Tiny looked at me and said, "You are starting to embarrass us." I glanced at Dr. Tiny and the patient, 14 for getting it wrong I began to sing again. As Dr. Tiny and I sang the song, the patient sang along and laughed. "That was a good one!" he shouted 15 .