2008-2009 Winners - Mountain Region
The winners of the Being an American Essay Contest have been announced! The top three winners in each region were announced at the Awards Gala on March 31, 2009.
Mountain Region
 | First Place - Sapphire Feltner Home School “Our nation was founded on the principle of power to the people. Self-government has been crucial to our political system from the 1600s to modern times, and it is the very value that defines us as a nation.” |
 | Second Place - Sharisa Nay Spanish Fork High School, Grade 12 “Our Founding Fathers lived with integrity as they sacrificed for the values they held dear. As we strive to live with integrity today, our nation will continue in the rich legacy laid by our forbears.” |
 | Third Place - Jordan Shepherd Northpoint Expeditionary Learning Academy “Perseverance is a core value that has been exemplified throughout the history of our country, whether in our nations founding documents or shown in the lives of our American heroes.” |
Honorable Mention - Micahael Chacon Cactus High School "America is perceived as the most powerful nation in the world. As time has progressed, perseverance has become an American trait which has helped make this country so dynamic. This unique value has made America the emblem of strength as perseverance has become intertwined with our history." |
Honorable Mention - Alexandra Itzi Dora Consolidated Schools “Justice is one of the core values inherent to American society. Our country was founded on the idea that every man should be allowed to control his own destiny. To oppress another, or tell him what he may or may not do, is an injustice of the most grievous kind and a unique kind of bondage.” |
Honorable Mention - Hasina Ismail Sandra Day O'Connor High School “What unites us as Americans? The answer is the values of the American Dream. One such value is justice. Justice is the fair, equal and reasonable treatment of individuals by the government; the fair enforcement of laws; and, the appropriate punishment for the crimes that are committed.” |
Honorable Mention - Hannah Mosley Carver Integrated Learning Institute “Equality promotes unity in America, and if we are going to live up to our name, "The United States of America", we have a duty to exemplify this value.... |
Honorable Mention - Kayla Smith Cherry Creek High School “America was founded on courage; the courage to stand up for what one believed in and to stand up and fight when all odds were against them. Whether courage is the absence of fear or doing something in spite of that fear as Americans we have shared in this courage.” | |
Honorable Mention - Erin Mitchell Mosquero Municipal School “Like the early women's right supporters, my opinion matters. Voting is my responsibility as an American woman in society; it is how my opinion and voice are heard in the business of government. It is a right that many women before me did not have. It is a right all women should not take lightly.” |
Honorable Mention - Chris Heath Higher Plain Academy “From the Signers of our Declaration of Independence, Presidents Washington, Lincoln and Kennedy, we see examples of courage and the challenge for each of us is to do all we can for our country. I can stand for freedom, vote, run for public office or even die for my country. In the words of Patrick Henry, 'Give me liberty or give me death!'” |
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