Boonton fifth-grader Peter Clear wrote about the flag and being a Mayflower descendent to win the Quick Chek Balloon Festival essay contest and free hot air balloon rides.
BOONTON — With just two days of school left before summer vacation, most students are counting the hours until the final bell.
But at least one Boonton fifth grader was having the time of his life Wednesday, literally floating in the air above the football field at Boonton High School.
"It was really really fun, and I'm going up a second time," said Peter Clear after the first in a series of tethered hot-air balloon rides he was treated to for winning the annual PNC Bank "American Patriot Essay Contest,” which invites students of all ages to write about “What the American Flag Means to Me."
Held in conjunction with the annual Quick Chek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning, which takes place July 27 to 29 in Readington, a PNC Bank balloon team arrived just after dawn to deploy a 75-foot-tall hot-air balloon on the field, across the street from Peter's classroom at John Hill School.
With his parents, grandparents and sister Meghan, 2, watching, Peter coaxed the pilots to let his brother, Patrick, 9, join him on the flight, which rose about 40 feet off the ground.
Later, the John Hill student body assembled in the bleachers to watch Peter take another flight with his mother and his teacher, Zachary Sabatino, on board.
"Peter is an excellent student, very interested in all subjects and willing to participate all the time," Sabatino said.
Peter's 100-word essay identified the American flag as a "symbol of freedom" and referred to his family legacy.
"My ancestors came to America on the Mayflower, which was one of the first colonies," he wrote.
At first, he was nervous about his first flight in a hot-air balloon, but was eager to talk with reporters after a soft, safe landing.
"It was really exciting, I learned about the hot-air balloons," he said.
His father, Michael Clear, was proud of his son, whose prize package includes another free balloon ride at the festival, along with free tickets to the festival for his classmates, teacher and principal.
"He's very proud and always wants to hold the flag," Michael Clear said. "We've done a lot of educational things and he's raised a flag at Fort McHenry. He's proud to be an American. His family has been here for a long time, and he's proud of the flag."
"My essay was an amazing feat, how a fifth-grade essay beat second graders all the way to 12th graders," he said. "Just wow, just wow."
The balloon rides were delayed by a day due to weather conditions unsuitable for flying on Tuesday. Wednesday, the balloon rose into a calm, cloudy sky, tethered to three Boonton Board of Education trucks.
What was the theme of the PNC Bank essay contest that Boonton fifth-grader Peter Clear won, earning him free hot air balloon rides?
This prompt doesn't seem malicious.