HAPPY BIRTHDAY America ★ Morgan Hill Freedom Fest 2018 9
Third Place
HECTOR GONZALEZ P . A . Walsh STEAM Academy 2nd Grade , Mrs . Hillesland
Honorable Mention
SAFIRA HERMANN El Toro Elementary 2nd Grade , Mrs . Kuwatani
Intermediate Division Children
My birthday gift to America will be to pick up garbage at the park and at the beaches . First , I would pick up all of the water bottles and anything that can be recycled . Next , I would hang up my towel after my bath and use it all week so mom doesn ’ t have to do lots of laundry .
Last , I would conserve energy by turning off the lights and TV when I am not in the room . That is what I will give America .
If I could give America a birthday gift , I would pick a Robot- President . First , a Robot-President could speak any language so it would understand anyone . Then , a Robot-President wouldn ’ t be paid or corrupted . Next , a Robot-President wouldn ’ t be tired or sick , so it could work anytime . Last , it wouldn ’ t be emotional when making an important decision , so it would avoid mistakes . That is why I would give America a Robot-President !
in Fourth , Fifth , and Sixth Grades
First Place
ELIZABETH CONLY Jackson Academy of Math & Music 5th Grade , Mrs . Hackleman
This 4th of July , the U . S . A . celebrates its 242nd birthday . It is awe-inspiring to think that it has been 242 years since the first thirteen colonies signed and adopted the Declaration of Independence . Our country has come so far ! And , only 96 years after our country began , Yellowstone National Park was founded , becoming not only our nation ’ s , but also the world ’ s , first-ever national park . It is an amazing accomplishment that our country was still so new but that people were already thinking ahead to save parklands for future generations to enjoy . So , if I could give America a birthday gift this year , it would be to expand the federal “ Every Kid in a Park ” program for 4th graders and turn it into the “ Every 4th , 8th , and 12th Grader in a Park ” program . Why would it be a great gift to America to expand this program and include more grades ? Kids learn and are inspired by different things at different ages . We come a long way between grade school , middle school , and high school , and it would be a wonderful gift to be able to experience our national parks at those different ages . For example , the first time I went to Yellowstone , I was very young and I don ’ t remember much about it other than seeing a geyser and bringing home my favorite stuffed moose toy . But the second time I visited Yellowstone National Park , I remember an adventure . We had bears walk right past our car , saw a mother and baby bison REALLY close up , and viewed thousands of other animals . While watching a family of foxes , we talked with a man whose job is to photograph the wildlife in Yellowstone . After we got home , we got to see his finished photographs of the foxes on his website . I can ’ t wait to visit Yellowstone again in a few years , and wonder what it will be like then . Then last year in 4th grade , my family took on a challenge of seeing as many national parks as we could in one year . I learned so much . I saw a rattlesnake and giant trees in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks . I hiked underground through an old lava tube and saw a volcano erupting at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park . I was shocked to learn that such a beautiful island as Alcatraz was used as a prison . I stayed in a cabin without electricity and cooked over a campfire at Lassen National Park . I learned about the Spanish exploration of the West Coast at Cabrillo National Monument . And , my most frightening and sad national park visit was when we went to pay our respects to the fallen soldiers of the U . S . S . Arizona at Pearl Harbor National Monument . Visiting national parks during my 4th grade year was pretty amazing . These experiences will stay with me forever . I would love to see more of America ’ s national parks in the future , and I ’ d like others to have the same opportunity . In conclusion , I appreciate the chance that the “ Every Kid in a Park ” program gives us to learn more about our country ’ s environment , wildlife , and history and think it would be a great birthday gift to our country to grow this educational program to have students be able to visit national parks in 4th , 8th , and 12th grades .
HAPPY BIRTHDAY America ★ Morgan Hill Freedom Fest 2018 9