"What the American Flag Means to Me"

First Place Award

Allen Doelue, Lower Macungie Middle School

Parents: Rufus and Comfort Doelue

To me, the American flag is more than just a symbol of America. It represents all the people that have died and worked to make the US what it is today. It represents all the people who still fight today and who still love their country. But most importantly, it represents the acceptance and love of everyone no matter the race, sex, or family background. The United States is a place where everyone can live together as one people in a fair democracy. The flag has come to be a symbol of opportunity. There are many people who are born in places where they cannot become what they want or have rights that every human should have. I have no one in my family that has ever served in the American military, but even I still feel connected to it. My family does not come from America and has only been in America for a short time compared to others. I cannot tell any stories of my ancestors that did great things in wars for America or were around when it was founded. I only have a story of opportunity. My family was able to find a haven in America. With the hard work, I was granted the gift of being raised in America with the opportunity to do and become anything I want. I treasure this because no one controls where they are raised, and everyday children are being born in places where they cannot get these rights. Everytime I see an American flag, I think of how lucky I am to be in America. You can do with your life what you choose, but every single person deserves an opportunity. So when I am asked what the American flag means to me, I think about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Second Place Award

Kayla Shea Kisthardt, Lower Macungie Middle School

Parents: Deborah and Michael Kisthardt

Bombs soar and bullets slice through the air as people fight for their lives and the honor of their country: amongst it all is an American flag waving the troops on. In the aftermath of the battle, a combat Marine turns to a reporter covering the war and says, "We are born with only one debt to pay, and that is to die. It is the long, dark shadow that hangs over every baby's cradle." The Marine was referencing his willingness to die with this brothers in arms. The American flag is a constant reminder of this readiness, and the reasoning behind why we pledge our allegiance to it in the morning at school, at sports events, and government meetings. Once, a fellow classmate complained about having to face a flimsy, unraveling flag while reciting the same monotonous lines as we do every morning. What my peer didn't comprehend was that it is not just merely a flag. It is a symbol of our freedom and how we obtain it. It is a token of our brothers' and sisters' sacrifices as they fight for this freedom. Woven into the red, white, and blue of that "flimsy, unraveling flag" is the courage and bravery that excudes from all who live for the future of our country. Breathed into the "monotonous lines" that flow from our parted lips is the promise to protect the United States of America and savor the luxuries we so commonly enjoy. With our words we exhale life into the stars that shine for us and the stripes that remind us of our beginning. Let the soaring bombs and slicing bullets never burn a hole in the fabric of the foundation we've created.

Third Place Award

Sydni Ernst, St. Ann School

Parents: Jon and Linda Ernst

As a citizen of the United States I am gifted with many special values. I work to proudly display freedom, independence, and liberty in each day I live. Through many different methods, I become able to show our dignity and patriotism as a country. From a spiritual and mindful point of view, I show freedom and independence through my words and actions. Visually, I hang fifty shining stars and thirteen bold stripes. I hang the American Flag to show what the Flag means to me.

When I look at the American Flag, I see more than red, white, and blue. I see a brave soldier's face, shivering in the bitter cold with pain trickling down his cheeks. I whisper him a little thank you to comfort him. I see Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson composing the Declaration of Independence. John Hancock enters the room and signs the document without thinking twice. I see baseball players standing together, saying the Pledge of Allegiance as they hold their caps to their hearts. A choir perfectly sings 'The Star Spangled Banner' in front of thousands of people. The flag is a symbol of the brave, who give up everything they have to give others everything that is possible.

Imagine a pitch black room, dark for as long as it has existed. A small window is boarded up and sitting on the wall. Everything is still, and not a sound is to be heard. You could hear a pin drop. A crack from the wood plated window suddenly lets in a beaming light. The whole room becomes illuminated. A faint voice chants a cheer, because at last they know they are free. Imagine such a feeling where you see light for the first time. That is the feeling I get when I think about what the American Flag means to me.

Once a land of slavery, now we are all free. Once a home to unequal rights to men and women, now we are all filled with justice and equality. To me, the American Flag is a light that shines throughout the country. It is what shows us our justice, our equality, our freedom, our liberty, and our unity. It is that voice chanting in a dark room, telling us that, at last, we are free.

The American Flag tells us a story. It shows the selflessness of many people. It expels endless bravery each and every day. It tells of the powerful victory that led us to be one. We, the people, become united under the flag. We all share the joy of being American. We all share the pride of an American heart. There is no better way to tell our story than to hang the American Flag. It is the symbolism of our life. We proudly live under this flag, in this independent, just, and self-governing nation. It is the flag of just one country, but it means the world to me.