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Bratt Elementary Student Honored For Essay ‘Snow House Memories’
March 22, 2026
A Bratt Elementary student is being honored by a state educators group for her essay. Maggie Lee wrote an essay entitled “Snow House Memories”, sharing how her Gammaw and Pop impacted her life.
The essay was entered in the Florida Retired Educators Association fifth grade writing contest and was selected as the winning essay for the district. She will be recognized at the FREA banquet and will receive a monetary award.
The essay is below, along with photos from the “Snow House.”
Ah, the frantic packing of Christmas morning! On Christmas morning, after everyone wakes up, we open presents. Then we go to Pop’s house and eat breakfast, and also open presents there. After all that, we hop on the road and go straight to the snow house. Spending time with my grandparents is always fun, but my favorite experience with them is the week after Christmas. Every year my whole family leaves on Christmas morning, and it is always the craziest day of the year! My grandmother, Gammaw, would search for the perfect house to sleep 20 people. It had to have a hot tub, game room, plenty of yard, and way more! The snow house is a huge part of my family’s life. It has been going on for more than twenty-five years! Pop and Gammaw have been running the snow house since it started. They are the reason the snow house is a thing.
Pop always had a favorite thing about the snow house. Every year we visit a park. The morning before, he would make sandwiches and put our names on them. At the park there was a volleyball net, and our whole family would play the most intense game of volleyball I’ve ever seen! Pop’s main reason for wanting to do this is spending time in nature. He wanted everyone to enjoy the creek and see who could skip the rock farthest. Pop is the absolute biggest role model you would want as a grandfather.
Gammaw always made sure we did one particular thing every year at the snow house. We would take a big group picture. The place we took the picture was beside a huge tractor. Every year the tractor picture was so important to her. She would always look back to see how much everyone grew throughout the years. She also loved the apple orchard. We would always get a whole bag of apples of any kind we wanted. We would also get apple pies and take them home. When I grow up, I want to be as good as a grandma as Gammaw was. She always valued family, and has taught us that, throughout the years.
The snow house is amazing to me because I get to stay with family for a week straight. My favorite part of the snow house is the new adventures we have every year. One year we did a polar plunge and another year we did zip lining. One of my ultimate favorite memories is game night. My family is very competitive, so it is extra fun!
Gammaw has been gone for a couple of years now. Pop has not let the snow house tradition die, and I promise I will not either. The snow house is the highlight of my whole family’s year thanks to Pop and Gammaw. They have taught me to cherish every single second with family, and to be grateful for everything in life. The snow house is more than just a house to us. It represents family.
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