Local Hero Visits English 10

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Luis Huerta Barros, Staff Writer

In our English 10 course on Wednesday, January 8th, two local lobstermen, John Aldridge and Anthony Sosinski, came to speak with our class. John and Anthony have been best friends since they were children and bought a lobster boat together. In July of 2013, John and Anthony were out on their boat preparing for a day of fishing, when disaster struck. At around 2 am, Anthony was sleeping below deck with the boat on autopilot when John fell off the boat! John was just a normal fisherman who had to figure out how to survive. John used his boots to save his life! John stayed in the water for over 12 hours before he was finally saved by the Coast Guard. No one thought John would be found. But because of Anthony’s dedication and John’s positivity, John survived. John and Anthony turned their story into an amazing book called A Speck in the Sea

John talked to our class about the power of positivity. John stayed calm in the water, with sharks circling him, for over 12 hours! He said that by thinking about his future and the people he loved, he was able to focus on surviving. Anthony and John love fishing so much, and they still go out on the same boat (with some new safety precautions)! It was such an amazing experience to learn about their story and ask them questions. After I heard what John went through, I learned that I can push myself through any hard situation.