John Clarke, a local boy from Milton who is also a cancer survivor, won one of eight awards in Major League Baseball’s Breaking Barriers essay-writing contest in which students from grades four to eight were asked to “write how values displayed by Jackie Robinson helped them overcome barriers or obstacles in their lives.”
Sharon Robinson visited his school, the Pierce Middle School, as did Wally the Green Monster, the Boston Red Sox mascot.
John also was honored in pre-game festivities at Fenway Park on Tuesday night. He was on the Fenway JumboTron before the Red Sox took the field to play the Kansas City Royals. (The Patriot Ledger)
When I was eight, I was diagnosed with Lymphoma a form of cancer. I used three of Jackie Robinson’s nine values: Courage, Determination, and Teamwork. In a way, the illness taught me about these three important values in a very special way. Jackie Robinson, needed these values to break through his barrier, and I needed them too. (Excerpt from essay.)