Kenny Cavins has won third place in the Stars and Stripes America 250 Youth Essay Contest, in the elementary category. (Photo provided by the Cavins family)
Kenny Cavins earned third place in the elementary category for his essay in the Stars and Stripes America 250 Youth Essay Contest. Kenny is a third-grade, military-affiliated student at Palisades Elementary School in Hawaii.
The essay prompt was: “How has being part of a military (or military-affiliated) family shaped how you think about America?”
DIFFERENT PLACES, SAME GAME
I have moved four times, gone to four schools, and have lived in two different countries. I have seen a lot of places for only being in third grade. Through all the changes, baseball has always been there. Baseball as a military kid has taught me a lot about America.
I have played baseball in nine leagues and 12 different teams across two countries. The game is the same, but the cultures are different. Some places focused on competition while others focused on fun. In Japan, they focused on discipline and sportsmanship. Getting to play in Japan was an opportunity of a lifetime and very challenging. All of my baseball experience taught me that our differences make us stronger. I am a strong baseball player because I have learned from those different places, different coaches, and different cultures.
Baseball has shown me that even as Americans, we train differently, have different strategies, and different beliefs, but the game itself is what brings us together. I have had to start over many times, but learning about our differences through baseball and finding new friends makes everyone stronger. Baseball is its own language, and I love to speak it.
Kenny Cavins is a third-grade student at Palisades Elementary School in Hawaii. (Provided by the Cavins family)
