My name is Lex Fetko, I am a fifth grader at PK Yonge. My explorer is Pedro Menendez.

An explorer is someone who is brave enough to explore something new, like a country or island. An explorer in the 1500's often explored new land and ocean, and went on very dangerous missions to find it. They often risked their life's exploring. YYou might ask why they would do this just to find something new. Sometimes explorers wanted to find gold and become rich, and sometimes they had nothing to lose, so they thought why not? Other times the prospect for adventure called to them. Today explorers may discover a new island or plant, running some risks, but not nearly as many as someone like Pedro Menendez. I made this definition by reading all the text I got and seeing what all the explorers had in common.

I chose Menendez because I already learned a lot about him and he is a interesting person. The King of Spain sent him to kick the French out of Florida in 1556. He was a good leader and was not cruel. He was not cruel because when he attacked Fort Carolina he killed all the solders but let the women and children go. He also let some solders go when they told him they were Catholic, although they were not and tricked him. According to Mendez claims, He was loyal to the king of Spain, and to his army. He also ran away from home when he was 14 so he earned everything he had. Another thing he did was he founded St. Augustine so he would have a place to attack the French from. I also chose him because what he did inspires me. When I heard about him I was instantly interested. Some day I would like to be looked upon like him, as a courageous, forgiving person.

Menendez fits my definition because he was brave, and started a new life in the new world. He also started a colony and gave mercy. Explorers are leaders and Menendez was a perfect example of a leader.

It is important to study explorers because it tells us how European people found the Americas. Without explorers the country we live in today would not exist. So, learning about explorers is important because they are really interesting and it helps me know how people started American Colony's.
Going in to middle school is like being a explorer because, in middle school you have different teachers for each class. Also you don't know what to expect the first day, and a explorer dose not know what to expect the whole time.

These are my references that I used to find these facts.

Thank you for your time, do you have any questions?