Columbus Day Letter Writing
by Mrs. Dahan, [email protected]
This was a response to an article I handed out about Columbus on Columbus day. It was an opportunity to practice letter writing and to show the potential for students to get involved.
Students who participated include Samuel Halpern, Shaina Davis, Charlotte Steinblatt, and Eric Adjler. Here are some examples of their work.
Shaina Davis
600 Columbus Ave. Apt.4N
NY, NY, 10024
President Barack Obama
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, D.C.
Oct. 20, 2013
Dear President Obama:
My name is Shaina Davis. I, as most people would say, am a typical 11 ½-year-old tween. I live in Manhattan and go to Manhattan Day School, a yeshiva day school on the Upper West Side. I’m a hard-working, good student, and enjoy math, science and the language arts, most of all. I have one older brother named Yehuda. My father is a neurologist and my mother is a journalist and magazine editor. My favorite color is white, and I have a HUGE love for acting, singing and dancing. So far, I would say, my life has been amazing! To top it off, I’ve been in three movies. (Okay, they were small films made on the streets of Manhattan by independent filmmakers, but still, it’s a start!) In school, we have been learning about you as president and the government.
I’d like to share some interesting facts I’ve read about Christopher Columbus. He was an out-of-the-box thinker, or should I say “out-of-the-ship” thinker. Almost everyone in the world thought the world was flat, but Columbus had different thoughts on that. Columbus thought that the world was round, and set out to sea trying to go to India and all across the rounded earth. At the time, no one would dare set out to sea because of the fear that they would fall off the earth into space. Columbus, being the brave and individual man that he was, thought differently and discovered American on his journey. What an amazing thing someone can do when they listen to themselves and are an individual! It also shows that people can make a tremendous difference.
I am also writing to you to appeal for a good change in our country. I, unfortunately, like many others, knew people who died because of cancer. They battled and fought hard, but cancer won. Three of my grandparents passed away because of cancer and every day someone else dies because of this terrible disease. I think you can help. For years, people have been giving money for cancer research. I think we need to increase the effort to try to find a cure. More money should be given to try and find a cure. Will you and your staff help us try to banish this disease forever? Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. I hope that you and our government can help.
Sincerely,
Shaina Davis