Fifth-grade students at Caribou Middle School participated in a writing contest sponsored by the local VFW. The students all had the same writing prompt, “What America Means to Me.” The three top place winners are as follows Kelsey St.Peter, third; Ricky Sheldon, second; and Dustin DeMerchant, first place. Students were awarded certificates and a cash prize.
The winning essays follow:
What America Means To Me
By Dustin DeMerchant
Fifth-Grade student
What America means to me is freedom. I know in the Middle East you can’t go along doing everyday errands and chores and not worry about mortars, bombs and other deadly weapons. Courage. Courage is what our soldiers have — every last one!
They fight for freedom and I thank them with all my heart. Being patriotic is a big part of America too. People embrace this country. Why wouldn’t they? It’s the land of the free and the home of the brave.
I’m proud to know I can go to sleep at night and know that I am part of a great country, the U.S.A. Patience, perseverance, honesty and trust will all get you far in life. They are also qualities of a good American citizen. Trust can be hard to get, but if you give trust, you get trust. Another very important quality to America is education. Through it we can achieve anything, reach any goal or climb any mountain because we are united. Together we stand, divided we fall because we are a great nation!
WHAT AMERICA MEANS TO ME
By Ricky Sheldon
Grade-5 Student
The most important thing that America means to me is freedom. In America we have freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and the right to protest peacefully. I think the most important right is freedom of religion. I couldn’t imagine having to be told I couldn’t go to church because in some countries people get killed for not believing in the king or queen’s religion.
When Martin Luther King Jr. led the March On Washington it motivated many African American people to take a stand. When they did the result ended segregation. This meant that African Americans didn’t have to sit in the back of the bus or go to different schools than the white kids. So that’s what America means to me.
What Life is Like in America
By Kelsey St.Peter
CMS Grade-5 student
America! Land of the free, home of the brave. Here in America I have the freedom of speech, of press, of assembly, of religion and the freedom of petition. In America, I can choose where I want to go to school, and the food I want to eat. I can work at the job that I want to work at. If I obey the rules and laws, I do not have people telling me what I can do and what not to do.
Here in America I have people to stand up for me in times that I am in trouble. These people who may be in the Army, Navy, Marines or in the Air Force are there because they want to, not because they have to. There is a song out there called “America the Beautiful” and that is what I feel like living here in America is, beautiful.
