America the Beautiful

As citizens experience hardship in today’s economy and as acts of violence and terrorism seem to occupy much of the media today, it makes it difficult for anyone to remember what made our great nation one of the strongest, most respected countries in the world. The appreciation I hold in my heart for all, both past and present, who have acted with integrity and bravery for the benefit of my beloved country cannot be sufficiently expressed.

Having the opportunity to visit several different countries in Europe was one of the biggest eye openers for me. It put a whole new perspective on how I view the world and gave me a greater appreciation for my homeland. I witnessed struggle. People on every street corner begging for anything you could spare. People along the sidewalks in bitter cold conditions with children and elderly that had no more than the shirt on their backs and maybe a thin blanket to keep warm, most with no shoes. I know that much of it was honest struggle, I saw too much of it for it not to be. So, with that picture now implanted in my mind, I have developed a new love, a new respect for America and the opportunity and the freedom she offers to all.

Although it is difficult to keep in mind at times, especially in our current economic state, we really do live in the greatest nation. I truly do believe America’s creation was divinely inspired. She was created with the intentions of freedom, justice, and liberty for all citizens. She grants people the freedoms to speak freely, practice one's own religion, and publish writings such as what I deliver to you today. America is created on the foundation of opportunity, honesty, and hard work. May we, as responsible citizens, never abuse what our remarkable nation offers us.

 Freedom to me means the freedom of choice. The freedom of what I want in life and having the opportunity to take me there. The freedom of being a woman without worry of restrictions that would hold me back from my goals and dreams. There is nothing more comforting or inspiring than the thought of my freedom. So today, as we celebrate the first and most important historical event as the United States of America, let’s not let our thoughts be so preoccupied with the annual social events and activities that we forget about exactly what made America the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.

=

What America Means to Me

Stars and stripes. Baseball and barbeques. Ford and fireworks. These are the things that I immediately picture when I hear the word America. Yet, when I ponder what America really means to me, abstract adjectives replace rather basic nouns. America truly means freedom, bravery, and pride.

 

The association of America with freedom is so common as to seem cliché, but freedom and equality will never be overused or go out of style. America was founded as a place where the individual could think freely and live according to his or her own beliefs. It served as a land of opportunity where hard work would merit profit. Both of these ideals still hold true today. People came to America seeking freedom of choice, and that’s what they received. For me this means I can practice the religion I want, attend the school I want, and attain the career I want. Living in The United States of America allows me the privilege of fating my own life.

When acknowledging the true meaning of America I can’t help but remember and appreciate those whom I owe for the freedoms I spoke of above. From the founding of our country, through two world wars, to current political problems across the globe, countless men and women have fought to protect the land we hold so dear. American heroes embody bravery. Acknowledging the lives lost, picturing the countless memorials erected for them, and thinking of all they gave up to stand for something great, I can’t help but associate our nation with courage and valor.

 

 

It’s no secret that Americans are a group who love their country. The countless flags hoisted around the nation provide proof of the patriotism so prevalent. The silence of great crowds when the National Anthem is performed at various events is evidence to me of the respect the American people hold for the nation. I can honestly say that I am proud to be a part of a country that grants so much and for a people that acknowledge its good. Pride in this nation for freedoms and opportunities, and those who made such possible, will forever be a defining characteristic of the American people.  

Lee Greenwood summed up America in its true form- freedom, bravery, and pride- perfectly in but a few short lines: “I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free. And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me. And I gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today, cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land, God bless the USA.” I love and hold gratitude for this beautiful country we live in. This time of year reminds me of how lucky I am to have been born in The United States. The Fourth of July, Independence Day, gives us all a chance to celebrate America and what it stands for. However, I do think we could all aim to remember, even just a little more frequently throughout the year, what America really means.

 

Service and Leadership

Though leadership may not be the first word that comes to mind when one ponders the benefits of service, the two do go hand in hand. Service not only builds, but requires, leadership skills. According to the business dictionary leadership involves:

1. Establishing a clear vision

2. Sharing that vision with others so that they will follow willingly

3. Providing the information, knowledge, and methods to realize that vision

4. Coordinating and balancing the conflicting interests of all members and stakeholders

Effective service necessitates all these aspects of leadership to adequately serve a particular group. First, a vision is needed. A group to serve must be chosen; a purpose must be formed. Without a clear vision, a service organization will be futile, lacking clear direction. In TEAM our goal is to help youth not only graduate high school but prepare for college and life after graduation. Furthermore, TEAM allows the youth to take part in many service opportunities around Cache Valley. Some of these projects include Relay for Life, helping with the after-school program at Wilson Elementary, Loaves and Fishes, safe driving rallies, and many more.

Second, sharing the vision with others proves a necessity. Service requires leadership as one must recruit others to join their cause. The influence of one person is certainly felt to a degree, but the influence of many willing hands can have monumental effects. One of the most crucial elements of successful service organizations is their ability to recruit members and volunteers. TEAM, with only one mentor, would prove an ineffective program. We need mentors and youth to lead by recruiting more mentors and more high school students to join, thus keeping the program running year after year for the benefit of all.

Third, a plan to accomplish the vision must be created. This generally occurs early on in the creation of an organization such as TEAM, but must also occur throughout for different events and activities. Our site coordinators formulate the weekly and monthly plans and let everyone know what is expected of them. The youth also have opportunities to lead as they become heads of certain service projects themselves.

 Finally, the interests of all members of the organization must be coordinated. The program director and site coordinators make sure that the mentors and youth alike know what is expected of them via email or face-to-face communication. Leadership comes in as each individual is responsible for a certain aspect of the program- from bringing materials, to planning an activity, to simply showing up at a certain place at a certain time.

Overall, successful service requires leadership on the part of all the individuals involved. As they formulate a goal, recruit others, work toward the vision, and maintain personal responsibilities leadership qualities are utilized and strengthened.

  

  

Youth organize food donated into backpacks to give to needy families.

Blogpost written by Mollie O'Donnell

TEAM prepares for Act Out Loud

On Friday, TEAM members handed out Otter Pops and flyers to promote Monday afternoon's Act Out Loud Safe Driving Rally.

The event, which will take place at 2:45 p.m. in the LHS parking lot in front of the English building, will have free food, games, beer goggles and other activities to promote safe teen driving.

Cesar Bautista, a junior at LHS, said he is looking forward to Monday's event.

"I'm so psyched," he said. "Last year was so much fun."

Morgan Butler, an LHS senior said he expects it to be "the highlight of this end month of school."

"It's a good note to end on," he said. "It's for a good cause and it helps people."

In preparation for the event, TEAM members were encouraged to ask local businesses to donate various prizes to be used at the rally.

According to Liberti Lucas, one of TEAM's site coordinators, the businesses that agreed to donate include Pizza Hut, Little Caesars, Logan Lanes and Smith's. There will also be gift cards from Wal-Mart and coupons from Old Grist Mill.

Service: Relay for Life

Members of TEAM walked/ran on the Field House track at Utah State University from 7 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Saturday to show support for cancer research and prevention.

TEAM members playing cards
while others are on the track

During the event, known as Relay for Life (a national program), at least one TEAM member had to be on the track at all times. While some paired up to walk around the track, others chose to run it alone. During breaks, they would socialize and play games. There were also various stands set up where they could buy food, drinks and photo opportunities. Money from those purchases — as well as to enter the event — went to the American Cancer Society.

Morgan Butler running the track.
By 10:30 p.m., he had run 5 miles.

Morgan Butler, a Logan High School senior, said he decided to attend the event because it is an important cause. 

"It helps them," Butler said. "It's not for you. It's for someone else, someone that needs help. 

Liberty Lucas, the Wilson Elementary School site coordinator, said it was the high school students in TEAM who decided that the event would be worth doing. 

Liberty Lucas and her husband passing
time on their electronic devices.

"We brought it up to the kids, and they said that they would love to be in this fundraising opportunity for cancer," Lucas said. "We're always looking for service projects and this is just one of them that we took a special interest in."

By the end of the event TEAM had ran/walk 99.5 miles for cancer.

Cancer doesn't sleep and neither did we! 

Health and Nutrition: Saint Patrick's Day

Members of TEAM avoided leprechauns while stealing from their pots in the downstairs gym of Wilson Elementary School on Saint Patrick's Day.

The after school club played the holiday-themed game as its health and nutrition event, which takes place on Mondays.

A pot of gold

Everyone was divided into four teams with three people designated as leprechauns. Hula hoops were placed in the center of the gym -- designated as the leprechauns' pots. Teams gathered in each corner. When music played, students stole markers -- which represented the gold -- from the center hoops and took them back to their corner. Whichever team had the most markers in its hula hoop by the time the music stopped won.

The ones kneeling down are strategically positioning
 themselves to take a marker and run away before a leprechaun catches them.

 If a leprechaun touched someone who took a marker, that person was required to put it back in the hoop and go back to his/her team's corner before being able to play again.

Cesar Bautista, a leprechaun, is sitting on his pot.
He will not let anyone take his gold.

After each round, Kayla Dinsdale, TEAM's site coordinator who planned the game, would alter the rules, sometimes asking for suggestions on which new rules to use. These included the amount of leprechauns in the round as well as the amount of players that could steal at one time. During the final round, students could even steal from other teams' hula hoops.

"It was intense, honestly," said Phoebe Toledo, a high school student who attends TEAM regularly. "It was just all over the place and the rules kept changing and it was ridiculously fun."

According to Toledo, Monday's health and nutrition games are often played with rule changes to explore different ways of playing them, to learn creativity and practice adaptability.

TEAM Opens New Site Focused on Academics

TEAM has opened a new site at Logan High School (LHS), where students will have one hour dedicated to homework rather than thirty minutes. For students needing extra help with their homework, ESL students, and those with an ACT test date in the near future, this may be a better choice for them.

TEAM members at Wilson Elementary doing
homework while Kayla Dinsdale
 writes on the whiteboard

Wilson Elementary School is still open for those who will benefit most from the balance of academic tutoring, 4H enhancement and service.

According to Kayla Dinsdale, TEAM's site coordinator, the after-school club opened LHS primarily for students who need extra help with doing homework, preparing for ACTs, filling out applications, receiving scholarships, and anything else related to academics. Much of what TEAM does at Wilson are still done at LHS, but the time allotted for the enhancement activities like 4-H and service is shorter so that the focus is more on school work and academic tutoring.

Logan High School computer lab
 where TEAM members do homework

Some students also attend Logan High School out of convenience. Some students have not been able to attend TEAM due to their inability or the inconvenience of getting to Wilson.

"This is where I go to school, and it's easier to get here," said Erick Carrillo, a high school sophomore who attends TEAM at LHS. "I'm already here."

Cesar Bautista standing in front of the whiteboard
 at Wilson Elementary School

Those who want to go to Wilson do it for the service experience, the opportunity to mentor younger students, and the scholarship opportunity. Every day, thirty minutes are set aside for members to mentor elementary students attending after-school clubs. In doing so they are earning $5/day towards a scholarship that can be used for post secondary education after they graduate from high school. In addition, the Wilson site has a very heavy focus on youth leadership development through service. Students are provided many opportunities to serve their peers as leaders of the various 4-H clubs and service projects.

"It's a good experience," said Cesar Bautista, a high school junior who attends TEAM at Wilson. "It helps you learn how to work with kids, it's pretty fun, and it gives you a good feeling."

Here are the scheduling specifics and a short summary of each site:

Logan High Site  2:45-5:00PM 

2:45-3:00 Snack

3:00-3:15 TEAM building

3:15-4:15 Academic Time

4:15-4:40 4H Topic 

4:40-5:00 Service

TEAM Logan High Site is for students that have a difficult time making it over to Wilson Elementary AND/OR they need additional support in academics/ACT/Scholarships/Applications. This site has all the same components as the Wilson Site but they are condensed so that we can have additional time on homework etc. This site is also more of a one-to-one mentoring set up. We have the USU Business Department Huntsman Scholars helping us this semester as well as a group from a management class at USU, so we are able to provide individualized tutoring for every student.

Wilson Elementary Site  3:00-5:30PM

3:00-3:15  Snack

3:15-3:30  TEAM Building 

3:30-4:00  4H Topics 

4:00-4:30  After School Club kids Clubs Time (Mentoring)

4:30-5:00  Academics

5:00-5:30  Service

The Wilson Site is for students that would like a balance of the key TEAM components (academic tutoring, 4-H clubs and service) and would like additional leadership skills, more service (we do .5 hr service every day and serve the Wilson after-school club for .5 hr daily), and the $5 scholarship to any college/university of their choice per day- up to $20 per week.