St. Francis Students Win Goodland Elks Essay Contest
St. Francis had two winners in the Goodland Elks Lodge Essay Contest, Sidney Sundstrom and Journey Lee. The contest essays were to be wrtten on the topic "Why I am Proud to Pledge Allegiance to our Flag." Essay length was not to exceed 250 words.
Sydney Sundstrom received 2nd place for the Division II (7th -8th graders). She will receive a $20 money order and a certificate.
Journey Lee received 1st place for the same division. She will receive a $50 savings bond and certificate.
Both essays will be forwarded on for District Judging. Goodland, Weskan, and St. Francis schools participated in the contest. Forty-seven essays were judged.
Mrs. Gibson, English instructor, commented, "I'm quite proud of these two young ladies. What a great way to start their college fund!!"
The winning essays are below.
Why I am Proud to Pledge Allegiance to Our Flag
by Sidney Sundstrom
The Pledge of Allegiance was a wonderful gift given to us. I am proud of The Pledge of Allegiance because without it, I’m not sure how I would say thanks to all our flag has done for us. Our pledge makes me proud of my town, state, and team colors. I am even proud of the beautiful colors of red, white, and blue which fly in our sky.
Our flag has flown in wars since 1776. Our American flag is a banner we use to represent the United States. In the War of 1812, Francis Scott Key was captured as a prisoner by the British. When he looked out the window and saw all the fire plus the burning down of the sorrowful place he wrote a poem called The Star Spangled Banner. Later on this poem was turned into today’s national anthem.
The Pledge of Allegiance was written in August of 1892 by a gentleman named Francis Bellamy. The Pledge of Allegiance I feel should be said and represented a lot more. Our Pledge of Allegiance, Star Spangled Banner, and the red, white, and blue all are magnificent characteristics of our flag. This is what our nation “Under God” looks like. I think we should say the Pledge of Allegiance more often at school because we rarely ever say it.
The Pledge of Allegiance tells me that God is watching over me and I have liberty and justice. The Pledge of Allegiance makes me know who I am. It makes me feel strong. Without The Pledge of Allegiance, how do you think you would represent the flag?
Are You Proud of Your Country?
by Journey Lee
You should be. We have so many things that other countries don’t have the privilege of having. For example we have the right to be free, we have equal rights for everyone, and we no longer have slavery.
One thing that I’m really proud of is the men and women over seas fighting for our freedom and trying to gain freedom for less fortunate countries. I think its amazing how they are willing to lose their lives for their country, just so someone like me can have a normal life.
One thing that amazes me is how well our country can pull its self after a disaster and come together as one. Like after a natural disaster or have the Twin Towers attacked by terrorist whatever it is we always seam to come together and lend a helping hand. People could just go on and not care but in this country people are different, they actually care. That is why I love this country.
