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Show Cedar High Student Wins Honor Award t For Letter Written in National Comoetition Alan Seegmiller, son of Mr. and Mrs. Adams Seegmiller, and prominent senior student at the Cedar City high school was given giv-en an honorable award this week in a letter writing contest sponsored spon-sored Jointly by the Sheaffer Pen company and Scholastic magazine. magaz-ine. Alan's letter, which appears here, was judged one of the best 50 among 2,200 received from high school students from high schools in every state, and Alaska, Alas-ka, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Canada. The subject of the letter-writing was "How Can I Help Expand Ex-pand Opportunity in America?" and according to Lester W. Nelson, Nel-son, president of the Middle States association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, who was one of the judges of the letters, high school students believe more firmly than their parents that opportunities depend on a continuance and strengthening of free enterprise. "The contest entries showed me a firmer faith in our system than many adults possess," the educator stated, and free enterprise seems to be synonymous with opportunity in the minds of most teen-agers." The letter which won this recognition rec-ognition for the young Cedar City high school student is as follows: Dear Sir: The question "How can I help expand opportunities In America?" Ameri-ca?" is a rather difficult one to answer, and I find that carrying out the solution is even more difficult dif-ficult than finding it. The reason for this Is because it rests with me personally to see that my own suggestions are carried out. America has always been associated as-sociated with the words "freedom" "free-dom" and "opportunity." This is rightly so because the wish for freedom of thought and action was the motivating force behind (Continued on Back Page) K ',. v .xr.-.t , . i ALAN SEEGMILLER WINS AWARD (Continued from Page One) the settlement of this great country, coun-try, and even though personal freedom has been denied certain cer-tain groups at times, the history of America as a whole, has been a record of continuous advancement advance-ment in the search for justice and democracy. We have come far in giving the people of our country the chance to proceed as they wish with their education, and the opportunity of getting a good job. A young man, If he is willing to work, can attain almost al-most any goal he chooses. There are really few able-bodied men who cannot have the satisfaction satisfac-tion of earning their own way. Yes, America is the land of golden gold-en opportunities. With the record of all that we have done in the past staring him in the face, the individual might well wonder what he can do to help expand opportunities. opportuni-ties. He might think that there is nothing colossal or tremendous left to be done; but we must always keep in mind that big things are made up of little things. This is true of our nation. na-tion. One of the first things which the individual can do, is to utilize his opportunities. Many people forget that this is a privilege. They look on it as a grim duty to be performed with the least effort possible. For example the right to vote. Men have died for this right and yet some people do not exercise the privilege. Yes, taking advantage of our opportunities is the first step in expanding them. Because without exercise opportunities oppor-tunities die. Next, it is up to the individual to create opportunities to make cur standards of living higher -to raise his morals and to help make a finer, cleaner and stronger strong-er race of people. He can do this by living as well as he knows how and teaching his children to be even finer than he himself is. I think It is very important that the people of a na'or, s individually indi-vidually pure in order for that nation, as a whole, to be strong. We should leave our children the opportunity to become debauched as some of us are. Finally, I think it is especially necessary ' for the individual to support his government and his way of life. The evils of all the "Isms" that are now facing us must be met. Many opportunities opportuni-ties can be had to make this a better and stronger nation, but most of them are given to the individual. in-dividual. Sincerely Alan Seegmiller, 195 South 100 West, Cedar City, Utah. |