Patriotic poetry and essays were celebrated Monday as the American Legion Auxiliary honored winners of their annual student contest.
Auxiliary members invited students, along with their parents, to attend the award ceremony at the group’s meeting held at the Weskota Apartments. Students recited their poems and essays in front of auxiliary members and received a cash prize.
Shown left to right are: Roslyn Klein (Poetry, 2nd place), Lily Roesler (Essay, 3rd place), Taryn Bartel (Essay 2nd place) and JR Hine (Essay, 1st place). Not pictured: Eiza Ciciliano Chivalan (Poetry, 1st place) and Katie Hernandez (Poetry, 3rd place).
The award-winning pieces that focus on the themes of freedom, democracy and veterans are published below:
Thanking our Veterans for our Freedom
By Eiza Ciciliano Chivalan
Thank you Veterans,
For giving us the freedoms we have today.
We will always have these because of you,
I appreciate all the things you've done.
To keep this country safe and joyful,
You traveled through sea and land around the world.
Just to keep us safe you do your duty,
Because of your sacrifice, I feel safe.
You shall be in my prayers always,
I would shake your hand for our freedoms.
And everything you've sacrificed for me and others,
Thank you again - God bless you!
Thanking our Veterans for our Freedom
By Roslyn Klein
Thanks to all our military Veterans.
They gave their strength for us.
May we never forget the freedoms we have.
We love that many are still here with us.
If it were not for them we would not have freedoms.
Some were young and some were old,
But they were all brave and bold.
Veterans sacrificed for us.
Some Veterans died for our country.
Some were on planes and some on land,
But they all had a purpose with a plan.
So let's never forget that Veterans gave us freedom.
Thanking our Veterans for our Freedom
By Katie Hernandez
We were at home
While you were protecting our freedom
You fought through many days and nights
All of you deserve our pride
We’re proud of all of the Veterans
Who kept thinking of the red, white, and blue
So on this day we give back
Know that we are forever grateful
Words are never big enough
For how much you have done
We will always remember you
For keeping us safe
What does patriotism mean to you?
By JR Hine
Patriotism means that you support your country, but to me it means a lot of things. It makes me think of all the Veterans who fought for our freedom. It means honoring our flag and flying it. It means supporting our Armed Forces.
It makes me think of the people who fight for our freedom today. Some left their families so they could fight for our country and freedom.To me patriotism means to support our soldiers and people who fight in wars today.
Patriotism means to honor the flag. Flying it at your house is a good way to show your patriotism.
Another thing it means to me is to honor our Veterans. We all need to think of the Veterans who fought for our freedom. They sacrificed so much, and some people need to remember them. Some Veterans didn’t come home, so we should also honor those who died.
To me, patriotism also means to support all the Armed Forces, and thanking them.
If you ever see a Veteran, make sure to say thank you to them. We need to honor our Veterans not only on Veteran’s Day, but all year. So, please tell the people you know to honor our Veterans everyday. If one of your family members is a veteran, thank them, get them a gift, or make something, to honor them.
People need to respect their veterans, especially those who died. Some people also need to honor the red, white, and blue. More people need to respect and honor the Veterans who fought for their freedom. That's what patriotism means to me.
What does patriotism mean to you?
By Taryn Bartel
Patriotism is devotion, love, and dedication for one’s country, but it means different things to different people. To me, patriotism is special. It doesn’t mean that you are a part of a country, it means that you care about your country. I am thankful for the patriotism so many people have shown, and they have all been an important part of our country!
There are so many ways to show patriotism, but the most important way to show it isn't by having an American flag or learning all the history of your country. It's what you do for your country and the people in it that make a difference. I am very thankful for Veterans and leaders that have all made many amazing differences to our country that have shown great patriotism! They have done so much for us! I am very grateful for them, and we all should be.
I am also very grateful for the people whose names aren’t known throughout the country. The people whose goals are to help their community or family, they have put in great amounts of effort as well and are important people in our country. America is what it is because of them too.
To me, patriotism is more than just being a fan of your country. It’s more than hanging up a flag. It is something truly special, something you can feel, something that we all should care about and be thankful for. It’s something that nobody can take away from you, and something that you don’t want to lose. That is what patriotism means to me.
What does patriotism mean to you?
By Lily Roesler
Patriotism means a lot of things to me. It means thanking Veterans, keeping our country safe, and more. It can even be little things that are patriotic, such as taking your hat off during the National Anthem, putting a flag in your yard, voting, and throwing your trash away.
Patriotism can be helping someone less fortunate than others. This could be helping someone if there was a disaster like a flood, hurricane, or tornado. The town volunteers, firefighters and police were there helping us when our town had a tornado..
Their service meant a lot to me, my family, and our town. The people that helped weren’t getting paid. They took their time and helped us through that tough time.
Patriotism is putting a flag in your yard to support your country. Even voting can be a big part of patriotism. Throwing your trash away to keep wildlife parks clean and our country clean is also patriotic. It will keep our country clean.
Patriotism is feeling love and devotion in “One Country Under God”. Patriotism can mean a lot of things to different people who live all around the country, but this is what it means to me. When I think of patriotism, I think of all the people that sacrificed their lives or time for their country. Thank you volunteers and Veterans for your time and service.
