Remington Otte, 6

“Remington is a little guy with a big personality,” wrote Remington’s mother, Kimberly Otte. “He enjoys spending time with people of all ages, from small infants to the elderly. He has a passion for helping people, whether it be by donating to canned food drives, assisting his mom with the housework, or just making people laugh and smile. He takes great pride in utilizing good manners, even when it’s not ‘cool’ to do so.

“Remington is a first-grader at Jackson Elementary School. He works very hard and doesn’t get discouraged, even when the work is challenging. His philosophy is simple — he wants to be a good example. He has been active in A.L.L. (Academy of Life and Leadership) Tae Kwon Do for over a year. He has earned an award for good character and leadership and tries to help newer students with their curriculum.

“Remington loves spending time outside. He enjoys hiking, riding his bicycle, cross-country skiing, and canoeing.”

Q&A

What chores or housework do you do to help your mom?

"Actually on Mom’s Day, I did the dishes for my mom, and I went downstairs and did the laundry. And I made her sit in the mommy chair — it’s a big chair, and we’ve got a big couch out in our living room and it’s huge. It has five big seats that you sit on, and I made her sit on the big one. And I made it like a restaurant. … I celebrate Mom’s Day a lot because I love my mom.”

What do you learn in tae kwon do?

“I learn about being a better sport in tae kwon do. And my goal is to get to a black belt.”

Why do you like tae kwon do?

“Because it makes me learn a lot, and I really want to be like Chuck Norris because he’s fast, he’s strong and he’s a lot better than my dad.”  (Remington laughs.)

Does your dad do tae kwon do?

“Yeah, he does.”

What do you do for fun?

“I play with my toys, and I get a little bored and then when I start acting crazy my dad yells at me when he’s in the shower,” Remington says through giggles. “Then we go on a walk, and my dad yells at me for going too fast.” (More laughing.)

What do you like most about school?

“Reading.”

What don’t you like about school?

“Math.”

What’s your favorite thing to read?

“‘Hop on Pop’” (by Dr. Seuss).

What’s the last good movie you saw?

“It’s Chuck Norris. … He jumps through the window of a car and it’s cool. He does a jump side kick.”

Do you know how to do one of those?

“I tried to do it when I was an orange belt, now I’m a green belt because I tested for my green belt.”

What did you have to do for the green-belt test?

“You have to earn the stripes — you don’t just get them, you have to earn them.”

How often do you go to tae kwon do?

“We go on Saturday. My dad goes on Monday for sparring class, and tomorrow he’s going to sparring class. Then after that day, he’s going on Friday and here comes Saturday. And that’s when we have tae kwon do. And sometimes we have tae kwon do on Wednesday, too.”

Do you look forward to it?

“Yeah, I look forward to it. My dad signed me up for looking forward to it.”

What do you want to be when you grow up?

“A police officer.”

Why?

“Because I get to arrest people, and I get to turn on the radio, and then it says ‘Bad boys, bad boys, what you gonna do …'” (continues singing the “Cops” theme song, giggling). “I can arrest people that have drugs, and they smoke a lot, and I get to arrest them.”