Seventh-grader awarded for Pen's Patriot contest
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After
winning second place nationally in the essay contest, Traylor also discovered
himself $9,415 closer to paying his way through college — or pursuing his
love of photography with a new camera. "I
don't know that our plans agree," joked his mom
and home school teacher, Pam, in the family's living room on Wednesday. Traylor's
essay won against thousands of other entries at the local, district and state
levels in order to make it to the national competition, which ended in
February. He will be recognized at an awards ceremony this June. "We
heard about it online," said Traylor. "I thought it would be a lot
of work, and I didn't want to do it at first." "Then
he heard about the money," Pam said playfully. Traylor
began his essay in late August of 2007 and submitted it at the local level,
to VFW Post 2216, on Nov. 1. The essay's theme was "Why I am an American
Patriot," something Traylor said he hadn't seen himself as before
beginning the research. "I
just didn't feel like I was doing anything good for my country," he
said. "But now I see I go to school, I work hard and I have good values,
and maybe one day in 30 years, I can be a senator or the president." As
part of his research for the essay, Traylor sent letters to former presidents
Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and President George W. Bush.
He asked them what they thought an American teenager could do to be
patriotic. "I
can't serve in the military or vote, but how can I be a patriot as a teenager
who just goes to school?" Traylor wrote. He saved the responses in a manilla envelope, which was sitting on a side table next
to the couch. "I
thought it would be cool to have a letter from the presidents that no one
else had before," Traylor said. "Not just a quote that has been
used hundreds of times." Carter
was the first one to respond to Traylor's query with a concise personal
response that Traylor ultimately used in his essay. The other letters followed
soon after, but didn't come in time to be used in Traylor's writing. In
his response, Carter told Traylor that "an American patriot should
demonstrate with both words and actions a commitment to principles that were
honored by our Founding Fathers and also by most of the world's great
religions: to peace, justice, honesty, human rights, freedom, and helping
those who suffer or are in need." "I
think Jimmy Carter's was the best," Traylor said. "His answer was
the most concise and he explained it the best." Pam
said that she was proud of her son, and hoped to incorporate more writing
contests such as the Patriot's Pen into her home school curriculum. "It
makes me feel proud of him because he's always had an aptitude for
language," she said. "And being a home school student, you don't
get to test your skills and progress against others often." Traylor
said he looked forward to finding more contests, and saving up slowly for the
years to come. "There are writing contests online everyday," he said. "And the prizes for a lot of them are only $15, but it all helps to pay for college." |
Why I am an American Patriot
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My
generation will one day govern, but a recent study reveals a distressing
trend: 74 percent of those age 50+ say they are
extremely or very patriotic compared to only 32 percent of those 18 to 34. I
am concerned about the consequences if this pattern continues. When
it is my turn to lead, I can pass on the commendable tradition of patriotism
by remembering three words — “know,” “show,” and “grow.” I
endeavor to know the true definition, ideals and history of patriotism. It is
not the integral nationalism of Nazi Germany or fascist |