LITERARY TOUCHDOWN FOR STUDENT CONTEST TAKING FIFTH-GRADER, TEACHER ON TRIP TO SEE SUPER BOWL NEXT MONTH.Byline: Carol Rock Staff Writer CANYON COUNTRY - Skyblue Mesa fifth-grade teacher Tracy Zak could barely contain herself Tuesday when she got a message that one of her students won a national essay contest. What she didn't know was that she was about to win something she'd dreamed about for most of her life. She and her student, Miranda Marquez, are going to the Super Bowl. Miranda's composition for the Scholastic/NFL-sponsored contest described how her fellow students would benefit from the $500 in athletic equipment promised to the winner. More importantly, she said in the essay that she would give the Super Bowl tickets to her teacher, who loves football and ``keeps us on our toes.'' ``She is definitely the Vince Lombardi of teaching,'' Miranda wrote. ``Miranda came to me with her essay pretty much finished, but she wanted some phrases that would stand out, so I gave her a few,'' said her father, Andy Marquez. ``She really wanted to send her teacher to the Super Bowl because she always talked about it and the importance of sports,'' added mom Elisa. Miranda isn't your typical fifth-grader. Diagnosed with cancer - idiopathic idiopathic /id·io·path·ic/ (id?e-o-path´ik) self-originated; occurring without known cause. id·i·o·path·ic adj. 1. Of or relating to a disease having no known cause; agnogenic. thrombycytopenic purpura purpura Presence of hemorrhages in the skin, often associated with bleeding from natural cavities and in tissues. Major causes include damage to small artery walls (as in vitamin deficiency or allergic reaction) and platelet deficiency (in association with such disorders as - when she was 2, she underwent treatment at UCLA Medical Center UCLA Medical Center is a hospital located on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California. It is rated as one of the top three hospitals in the United States and is the top hospital on the West Coast according to US News & World Report. and has been in remission for seven years. Her bouncy dark hairdo is relatively new, not from chemotherapy, but because she recently had 11 inches of hair shorn shorn v. A past participle of shear. shorn Verb a past participle of shear Adj. 1. off and donated to Locks of Love, a national group that uses human hair to make wigs for young cancer patients. Word of Miranda's award zipped through Andy Marquez's company, driven by the disbelief that he wasn't the one going to Jacksonville to accompany his daughter. ``They're asking me '`Are you an idiot?' but I tell them this is all about Miranda taking her teacher, so they're going to go.'' Zak called Elisa to make sure it was all right, offering to pay her own way just to be in the area, but Miranda's mom stood firm. ``Tracy said it touched her that Miranda even mentioned her,'' Elisa Marquez said. ``She told me she didn't have children, but even if she did, she didn't know if her own children would do this for her.'' A visit to Zak's room found Miranda's fellow students cheering for their classmate. ``We're shocked. Out of millions of people, she got picked,'' said Adam Guzman, 10, as his face lit up. ``I am still amazed a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. ,'' Miranda said modestly. ``Out of all the entries, I'm the one and this is happening to me. I really wanted to get the equipment for the school.'' Miranda and Zak will leave Feb. 4 for Florida, where Miranda will be a reporter for Scholastic on Feb. 5 at the NFL NFL abbr. National Football League NFL (US) n abbr (= National Football League) → Fußball-Nationalliga Experience, a multimedia event preceding the game, which is Feb. 6. The pair will return to California on Feb. 7. ``I will get to meet all the players, so I need to make sure to take paper and a camera,'' she said. ``We're staying on an island resort, too.'' ``Never in a million years did I dream I would go to the Super Bowl,'' said Zak, beaming. ``When I was a little kid, I made my father a Lombardi trophy The Lombardi Trophy can refer to the following American football awards:
She makes physical education a priority in her classroom, running mile laps with the students. She plays softball softball, variant of baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Invented (1888) in Chicago as an indoor game, it was at various times called indoor baseball, mush ball, playground ball, kitten ball, and, because it was also played by women, ladies' in a city league and organizes occasional football games on the elementary-school campus. ``She's a good fullback,'' piped in Carlos Martinez. Zak said another payoff from the contest is students' renewed interest in reading and writing. Principal Debbie Bohn said the $500 will likely be spent on mats and pedometers for P.E. classes. Miranda hoped to get a climbing wall A climbing wall is an artificially constructed wall with grips for hands and feet, used for climbing. Some are brick or wooden constructions, but on most modern walls, the material used is a thick multiplex board with holes drilled into it. similar to the one at La Mesa La Mesa (lə mā`sə), city (1990 pop. 52,931), San Diego co., S Calif., a suburb of San Diego; inc. 1912. It is a retail center and a popular residence for upper- and middle-income professionals in the San Diego area. Junior High for the school, but the price was significantly more than $500. Carol Rock, (661) 257-5252 carol.rock(at)dailynews.com ...AND IT'S GOOD! Miranda Marquez's essay for the Scholastic competition What would be the penalty for Skyblue Mesa if they failed to receive this NFL prize? Unlike the NFL we would not be held to a mere 15 yards, our penalty extends to our lives and the chance to reverse a devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. epidemic of childhood obesity childhood obesity Public health Overweight in a child, an average BMI of ≥ 85% for age and sex; ≥ 95% for age and sex is very obese. See Body-mass index, Obesity. Cf Adult obesity. . With the proper equipment the students of Skyblue Mesa have a chance to exercise more than our minds. Players in the NFL have the best. We students at Skyblue Mesa would love the opportunity to be able to reach our potential. Please don't throw a flag on our future. It's the last quarter and we are fourth and inches. Help us cross the goal line. I would love to give the Superbowl tickets to my wonderful teacher Ms. Zak. She loves football, plays many sports, and keeps us on our toes. She is definitely the ``Vince Lombardi'' of teaching! Thank you NFL for having this contest and giving kids the opportunity to go for the ``Hail Mary Hail Mary: see Ave Maria. Hail Mary Latin Ave Maria Principal Roman Catholic prayer addressed to the Virgin Mary. It begins with the greetings spoken to Mary by the Archangel Gabriel and by her cousin Elizabeth in the Gospel of Luke: .'' CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: Fifth-grader Miranda Marquez of Skyblue Mesa school in Canyon Country wrote an essay that was picked from millions nationwide in a contest to win a trip to the Super Bowl. She'll be taking her teacher, Tracy Zak, right. David Crane/Staff Photographer Box: ...AND IT'S GOOD! (see text) |
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