Hometown Hero: Ali Westenhaver

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Posted: 10:29 PM Jun 27, 2008
Last Updated: 10:32 PM Jun 27, 2008
Reporter: Will Jones
Email Address: will..jones@wsaz.com

2 comments

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RAVENSWOOD, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- School can be a difficult time for students with disabilities.

In Ravenswood, West Virginia, a second grader is doing her best fo make sure her friend who has a disability is part of the crowd.

It's no wonder why Ali Westenhaver and Ethan Dunlap are best friends. Wherever Ethan goes, Ali is close behind.

"It makes me very happy to help him out. He does fight with me a lot. It's really funny," Ali Westenhaver said.

From kindergarten to 2nd grade, they've been inseparable. Through it all, teachers say Ali has become a role model for her classmates at Henry J. Kaiser Elementary School in Ravenswood.

"She has made all the students from preschool up not afraid to be around students with disabilities," Teresa Sharp, a teacher's aide, said.

It's what makes her a WSAZ Hometown Hero.

You might expect Ali to say she wants to be a teacher or a nurse when she grows up, but she tells us she wants to become a horse trainer.

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Comments are posted from viewers like you and do not always reflect the views of this station.

Posted by: Parent on Jul 8, 2008 at 10:02 AM
I would like to say that Ethan is very fortunate to have very good parents. I have seen them take him swimming at the local pool - he has played baseball and his father takes him on bike rides. His parents are wonderful in the respect that they do not give him limits unless it is something virtually impossible to do. Ethan is such a sweet child - my son had class with him and Ali is a doll. Thank God for our children - sometimes we need to learn lessons from them.

Posted by: The Weekleys on Jun 28, 2008 at 06:23 PM
Ali is a wonderful young girl, and we are very happy that she is a hometown hero.

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