Education

“America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination, and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.”-Harry Truman. Living in America is a privilege that we are blessed with. There is a significant amount of people that could only imagine what freedom, opportunities, and independence they could have. They feel this way because of how the people living in the country make it out to be. Many people feel as if America is just a free country. What they fail to realize is, there are certain rules and regulations that they must abide by. This plays a huge role in life, but understanding why can be an even bigger task.

What is an American? In my eyes being a citizen is not the only importance in being an American, there’s so many other key factors that have just as much importance. People sometimes forget about what really matters as being an American. Being a good American is someone who has courage and is not afraid to stand up for something that they believe. Someone who can be a leader not just for themselves but for other people. A person who is honest and not selfish and is willing to put themselves aside for others. I think it is someone has good meaning and is caring is an American.

PISD eighth graders competed in a Patriot’s Pen Essay contest for Veteran’s Day. The Veterans of Foreign Wars graded the essays and picked the top three winners. Left to right: Dwayne Boyd (Senior Vice Commander), Ana Kellum (3rd place - $50), Saniyah Taylor (2nd place - $75), Addison Hill (1st place - $100 and 3rd place in District), Eppie Lackey (VFW Auxiliary Past State President), Barbara Bailey (Auxiliary Secretary), and Lyman Duckwitz (Auxiliary President).