Posted by Mrs. Shinners, 7th Grade Homeroom –
Whether we realize it or not our freedom is called into question every day. With recent events in France it has become even more apparent that what we value, freedom, is something that needs vigilant effort to protect. Thankfully, us and our freedom is protected by the millions of men and women that serve in our nation’s military. They willingly sacrifice their lives to protect the people of the world.
Recently, the All Saints Catholic Academy Upper School was asked to explain what freedom meant to them as part of the VFW’s essay and scholarship contest, The Patriot’s Pen. Responding to that prompt was not as easy as I thought it would be. My students do not know a life without freedom. Yes, they are restricted by their age and parental rules but living without true freedom is unknown to them.
To get them started on this topic we talked about all the things they are able to do: attend school-both boys and girls, freely practice their religion, freedom of speech and the right to choose. We discussed what it would be like to live without our rights. Then we discussed how we received all of these rights; they immediately knew. Millions of men and women throughout history had laid down their lives so they could have the life they lead today.
On Wednesday, November 11, 2015 the All Saints Catholic Academy community opened our doors to the Morrisville VFW and the Ladies Auxiliary to honor them for their service. In addition we discovered who won The Patriot’s Pen essay contest and while that was exciting for the students, it paled in comparison to meeting the men and women who protected our freedom. The students were now able to say thank you while truly understanding the role the veterans played in their lives.
