Kindergartner Madelyn Moreno and her fellow classmates from Harley Avenue Primary School received a special visit from Long Island Ducks and TD Bank representatives on Jan. 26. Madelyn was recently selected as one of four winners and the first kindergarten student ever to win TD Banks annual essay contest, “Take a Duck to Class.”

The essay prompt asked students to write about a hero in their community in 250 words or less and submit their entries to LIDucks.com this past fall. Madelyn dedicated her submission to her father, a volunteer firefighter. Out of thousands of student submissions, Madelyn’s essay was one that stuck out.

“Madelyn wrote about a fireman, which was great, but there was a kick to her essay because the fireman was also her dad,” said Ducks Assistant GM/Senior VP of Sales Doug Cohen. “We wanted to recognize her dad and also award Madelyn for her essay because it really impressed us.”

A special assembly took place for the kindergartners where Mr. Cohen congratulated Madelyn on her essay and gave her the opportunity to read it to her peers. TD Bank representatives Eric Fishon and Robert Lashuk were also on hand to award Madelyn with a $50 Visa gift card for her accomplishment. Madelyn’s parents Louis and Lauren Moreno cheered their daughter on and Mr. Moreno dressed in his bunker gear to answer any questions that the students had.

The Long Island Ducks mascot QuackerJack also made a special guest appearance which resulted in a loud applause from the students. Following the assembly, Madelyn’s entire class enjoyed a private autograph session with QuackerJack in their classroom and took home gift bags filled with items, courtesy of TD Bank and the Long Island Ducks.