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Keokuk Elks Lodge announces area essay winners
For the Daily Gate City
Keokuk Elks Lodge 106 announced the winners in its annual essay contest. The theme for the contest was “Our Flag - What It Means to Me.”
First-place winners are Kailey Roberts contest from Clark County Middle School and Nic Holmes of Keokuk Middle School. Both received a $100 savings bond for finishing first and moved on to the district contest for judging.
Second place winners are (girl) Shelbyjo Tweedell and (boy) Wyatt Fecht, both from Carthage Middle School. They received a $50 savings bond.
Two hundred ninety-six students from these area schools participated in this years' contest: Canton, Carthage, Central Lee, Clark County, Keokuk and Warsaw.
First-place essays
What our Flag Means to Me
By Nic Holmes
The American Flag stands for children who are innocent in their youth. It stands for teenagers ambitious in their dreams. It stands for older people who have seen many dreams. When I look at the flag it reminds me of the children in America who are born with hope. They hope that the next generation will continue on where the earlier ones left off, as our parents did. Our flag stands for the dreams of teenagers becoming successful adults and lives.
The flag stands for the veterans and for the people who have died trying to keep their loved ones safe. The flag stands for courage. Courage leads to victory. The flag means freedom, justice and history. The flag is different for everyone else. The flag is really valuable and should be respected by every citizen. George Washington spent all those nights at Valley Forge so we could have freedom. I hope we always remember the people who died and that is what the flag means to me.
What our Flag Means to Me
By Kailey Roberts
The flag represents great values in our country. It stands for many things, one of them is freedom. Freedom is something we get to have everyday, like going to school or choosing where we go to work. Another thing it means to me is a sign of respect that everybody should be treated equally. It stands for honor for the people who fight every day for our country. We should think about all the soldiers that have lost their lives fighting for our country's values.
The original flag had 13 stripes and 13 stars, the 13 stars stood for the first 13 colonies of our country. More stars were added to the flag as states were formed. Today, our flag has 50 stars to represent the 50 states. The flag is a symbol that has been a part of our country since 1776; it has continued to change as our country changed. The colors stand for different things; red, signifies bravery; white, signifies purity and innocence; and blue, signifies perseverance and justice.
Everyone should take a moment and think about what the flag means to them individually. We should remember what this country went through to help us have our freedom and for us to be able to make our own daily choices. These are things that we sometimes take for granted in our everyday lives even as soldiers continue to fight for our freedom today. The flag means so much; sometimes it is hard to explain because it comes from the heart, after all I was born on Flag Day!
Second-place essays
What our Flag Means to Me
By Shelbyjo Tweedell
The American flag means to me courage and rights to everyone in the United States. Everyone should be treated equally no matter what color of skin they have, what their religion is, or where they come from. We should all respect and honor the flag because America wouldn't be the same without it. In school when we say the Pledge of Allegiance, you should always have a hand on your heart and say the pledge with pride and respect.
The American flag is our country's symbol. It stands for rights and freedom of speech. Just think how much more freedom we have now. Women have the right to vote, people are allowed to practice and preach their own religion and people with a different color of skin can walk freely without being teased or hurt. Americans should never be against the flag because there are soldiers who are risking their lives for the United States and everyone who lives here.
Peace is also a big part of what the flag means to me. I want to worry about regular stuff like if I'm going to pass the math test tomorrow or if we're going to Orlando for our family summer vacation this year.
I don't really want to worry about what's going on a thousand miles away from here. I'm not saying it's not important, I'm just saying I don't want to worry about it. It is actually very important because it judges what our lives will be like tomorrow. With our soldiers and the flag, fighting together we're unstoppable.
Not everybody likes each other in the United States. We have friends and enemies, but even if you really don't get along with someone, you should respect that person like you would respect yourself. That is what the American flag has taught me.
What our Flag Means to Me
By Wyatt Fecht
People have changed the flag many times, but no matter how many times people change how it looks; it will always symbolize the same thing. The flag will always cause the same explosion of remembrance and the will to be free. The flag to me is an emblem of courage, honor, and freedom that will prevail over conflict.
To me, the American flag is a symbol of freedom and courage. The freedom came from our determination to free ourselves from Great Britain, and our courage kept us going in the fight for that freedom. It was our courage and the thought of freedom that kept us fighting against a more powerful enemy. In the war of 1812, Francis Scott Key thought all was lost as the British bombed Fort McHenry, but his courage returned as he saw the American flag still blowing in the morning.
The flag isn't just a symbol of courage and freedom though, it's also a symbol of peace and honor. The sight of the flag has a calming effect on me, knowing the courage it inspires is the key to having peace.
Our country is one of the most peaceful countries because the flag reminds us what our soldiers are fighting for.
The flag also represents the honor-bound duty we all have to the United States, our parents, or whatever it is you have a duty to. Whenever I see the flag, I think about all those lives that were lost to keep our country free.
In total, the flag is an emblem of remembrance for our fallen veterans and courage for our current population.
Keokuk Elks Lodge 106 announced the winners in its annual essay contest. The theme for the contest was “Our Flag - What It Means to Me.”
First-place winners are Kailey Roberts contest from Clark County Middle School and Nic Holmes of Keokuk Middle School. Both received a $100 savings bond for finishing first and moved on to the district contest for judging.
Second place winners are (girl) Shelbyjo Tweedell and (boy) Wyatt Fecht, both from Carthage Middle School. They received a $50 savings bond.
Two hundred ninety-six students from these area schools participated in this years' contest: Canton, Carthage, Central Lee, Clark County, Keokuk and Warsaw.
First-place essays
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By Nic Holmes
The American Flag stands for children who are innocent in their youth. It stands for teenagers ambitious in their dreams. It stands for older people who have seen many dreams. When I look at the flag it reminds me of the children in America who are born with hope. They hope that the next generation will continue on where the earlier ones left off, as our parents did. Our flag stands for the dreams of teenagers becoming successful adults and lives.
The flag stands for the veterans and for the people who have died trying to keep their loved ones safe. The flag stands for courage. Courage leads to victory. The flag means freedom, justice and history. The flag is different for everyone else. The flag is really valuable and should be respected by every citizen. George Washington spent all those nights at Valley Forge so we could have freedom. I hope we always remember the people who died and that is what the flag means to me.
What our Flag Means to Me
By Kailey Roberts
The flag represents great values in our country. It stands for many things, one of them is freedom. Freedom is something we get to have everyday, like going to school or choosing where we go to work. Another thing it means to me is a sign of respect that everybody should be treated equally. It stands for honor for the people who fight every day for our country. We should think about all the soldiers that have lost their lives fighting for our country's values.
The original flag had 13 stripes and 13 stars, the 13 stars stood for the first 13 colonies of our country. More stars were added to the flag as states were formed. Today, our flag has 50 stars to represent the 50 states. The flag is a symbol that has been a part of our country since 1776; it has continued to change as our country changed. The colors stand for different things; red, signifies bravery; white, signifies purity and innocence; and blue, signifies perseverance and justice.
Everyone should take a moment and think about what the flag means to them individually. We should remember what this country went through to help us have our freedom and for us to be able to make our own daily choices. These are things that we sometimes take for granted in our everyday lives even as soldiers continue to fight for our freedom today. The flag means so much; sometimes it is hard to explain because it comes from the heart, after all I was born on Flag Day!
Second-place essays
What our Flag Means to Me
By Shelbyjo Tweedell
The American flag means to me courage and rights to everyone in the United States. Everyone should be treated equally no matter what color of skin they have, what their religion is, or where they come from. We should all respect and honor the flag because America wouldn't be the same without it. In school when we say the Pledge of Allegiance, you should always have a hand on your heart and say the pledge with pride and respect.
The American flag is our country's symbol. It stands for rights and freedom of speech. Just think how much more freedom we have now. Women have the right to vote, people are allowed to practice and preach their own religion and people with a different color of skin can walk freely without being teased or hurt. Americans should never be against the flag because there are soldiers who are risking their lives for the United States and everyone who lives here.
Peace is also a big part of what the flag means to me. I want to worry about regular stuff like if I'm going to pass the math test tomorrow or if we're going to Orlando for our family summer vacation this year.
I don't really want to worry about what's going on a thousand miles away from here. I'm not saying it's not important, I'm just saying I don't want to worry about it. It is actually very important because it judges what our lives will be like tomorrow. With our soldiers and the flag, fighting together we're unstoppable.
Not everybody likes each other in the United States. We have friends and enemies, but even if you really don't get along with someone, you should respect that person like you would respect yourself. That is what the American flag has taught me.
What our Flag Means to Me
By Wyatt Fecht
People have changed the flag many times, but no matter how many times people change how it looks; it will always symbolize the same thing. The flag will always cause the same explosion of remembrance and the will to be free. The flag to me is an emblem of courage, honor, and freedom that will prevail over conflict.
To me, the American flag is a symbol of freedom and courage. The freedom came from our determination to free ourselves from Great Britain, and our courage kept us going in the fight for that freedom. It was our courage and the thought of freedom that kept us fighting against a more powerful enemy. In the war of 1812, Francis Scott Key thought all was lost as the British bombed Fort McHenry, but his courage returned as he saw the American flag still blowing in the morning.
The flag isn't just a symbol of courage and freedom though, it's also a symbol of peace and honor. The sight of the flag has a calming effect on me, knowing the courage it inspires is the key to having peace.
Our country is one of the most peaceful countries because the flag reminds us what our soldiers are fighting for.
The flag also represents the honor-bound duty we all have to the United States, our parents, or whatever it is you have a duty to. Whenever I see the flag, I think about all those lives that were lost to keep our country free.
In total, the flag is an emblem of remembrance for our fallen veterans and courage for our current population.
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