Canyon Creek 7th grader Emma Hein took 2nd place in the state of Washington for the Patriots's Pen Essay. The contest is sponsored by the Veteran's of Foreign Wars and several Washougal students were winners at the regional level. Representatives from the VFW visited Tiffany McCormick's Language Arts class January 25 to present Emma with a plaque and a $400 check for her award winning essay.
Award winners at the regional level are: (sixth grade): Kaytlyn Sandu, 3rd place, Canyon Creek; Ryan Kepner, honorable mention, Canyon Creek; Audry Hinchliff, honorable mention, Canyon Creek; (seventh grade): Kennedy Ferguson, 1st place, Canyon Creek; Emma Hein, 2nd place, Canyon Creek; Garret Foster, 3rd place, Canyon Creek; Felicity Goetz, honorable mention, Canyon Creek; Anastasia Janiszewski, honorable mention, Canyon Creek; (eighth grade): Justin Snodgrass, first place, Jemtegaard.
The following elementary students also received awards: (third grade): Wyat Hammer, 3rd place, Gause; William Gunn, honorable mention, Gause; (grade 4): Reid Rotundo, 1st place, Gause; Gabby Warta, 2nd place, Gause; Maddox Edwards, honorable mention, Cape Horn-Skye; Tyler Conrad, honorable mention, Cape Horn-Skye; (grade 5): Caden Lowman, 3rd place, Gause; Rebecca Hodges, honorable mention, Gause; Emily Hearns, honorable mention, Gause.
WHS students received awards in the Voice of Democracy competition: Lance Lejewski, 2nd place; Justice Rosales, honorable mention; and Crystal Saltmarsh, honorable mention.
Pictured: Emma is pictured below with Ray Loney from the Washougal VFW, and Dale Dutter from the state VFW.
Conversation Of a Lifetime
“Oh,
say can you see…” The first
words of our nation’s anthem evoke a sense of pride and glory in American
hearts. This line is just one of
the many symbols of our beautiful nation, America. How would I express that pride to the founding fathers, the
creators of our 236-year-old country?
I would thank them for taking action and creating this country—the
greatest country on earth.
If
I was ever given the chance, I would tell the Fathers how much I love The Constitution. The Founding Fathers built a constitution
that gives us many rights and freedoms.
There are lots of countries out there without anything close to as many
rights as us. We are allowed to
own guns, to vote, and to have our own beliefs, religions and ideas; and we can
share these ideas. With The Constitution,
we also have and organized central government that governs us. In today’s world, these things make a
difference.
I
would also express to the Founding Fathers some of my feelings about
democracy. Our democracy lets us
have a voice in our government, among other things. It’s great to be able to vote for who we want to lead us, not just who’s next in line for the
throne. The Founding Fathers
created a democracy where we can influence our government and elected
officials. I would tell the Founding Fathers how nice it is to live free of a
dictator like all the countries I hear about on the news.
America
doesn’t belong to any other country or any ruler. Our country is a free country, and I would thank the Fathers
for that. I know many people take
this freedom for granted, but we shouldn’t. I’m proud of my country- a free,
independent country. And I admire
the courageous, outstanding men who built it.
If
I were ever given the amazing opportunity to sit down and converse with any of
these men, I would tell them of my admiration for their accomplishments. I would let them know how much I love
The Constitution, our democracy, and our freedom. If it weren’t for these brave, incredible men, America
wouldn’t be here.
“…For
the land of the free, and the home of the brave!”- Francis Scott Key, The Star
Spangled Banner.
