YHS senior earns Good Citizen Award

 

Brook Scarlett Bullock, a senior at Yosemite High School, has been awarded the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution [DAR] Good Citizen Award for having demonstrated the qualities of: Dependability — which includes truthfulness, loyalty, and punctuality; Service — which includes cooperation, courtesy and consideration of others; Leadership — which includes personality, self-control, and the ability to assume responsibility and patriotism — which includes unselfish interest in family, school, community and nation.

Brook has logged more than 800 hours of community service by working with Rotary/Interact, the American Cancer Society, Vision Academy of the Arts, as a peer mediator at YHS, as a classroom tutor at Oakhurst Elementary, assisting the AD team, and organizing donations to needy children in Mexico.

Currently she is president of the YHS Spanish Club and of CSF [California Scholarship Federation], vice-president of Interact, secretary for peer mediation and is the YHS representative for Vision Academy of the Arts.

She is going to state finals for the Mock Trial team, just finished producing “A Mid Summer Night’s Dream” for her senior project, is an lB [International Baccalaureate] chemistry lab assistant, is taking five IB classes and is one of Yosemite High School’s valedictorians.

The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution [DAR] was organized in 1890 to promote history, education, and patriotism in America. It has three objectives — what has been won must be defended; what has been built, must be maintained; what has been saved, must be preserved. Any woman who is an ancestor of a man or woman who aided in the cause of American independence during the American Revolution is eligible to join.

 

Winning essay

Brook’s winning essay reads as follows:

“We the people” serves as a phrase that encompasses our nation, binding the population together. Their words are like the glue that holds our country together. When our founding fathers came to America, they had one ideal in mind, freedom. The United States of America bases politics, economics and morals on this one powerful word. A world without freedom is like a world without America. The many different races and ethnic groups that make up our “melting pot” contribute to making America culturally diverse. The tradition of American Heritage is one that makes our country so great and will be preserved for many years to come.

As countless generations continue to filter through American society, history is made and recorded. Some believe American heritage is being lost. However, every event and action present today will become a part of the past, a part of history. Living in America requires all citizens to keep this heritage alive, for freedom is instilled upon the vast majority of its people. The choice is up to each individual to preserve the traditions and values created by those involved in the American Revolution.

Days like September 11 reinstate the importance of reflecting back on our past to join as one common force in a time of crisis. Had freedom not been so important to our founding fathers, September 11 would not have placed such a heavy burden on the hearts of so many. September 11 was a day that tested the patriotism of many. When the two towers fell, so did the barriers between the classes. Regardless of one’s social status, all were grieving. Monuments that symbolized New York had been destroyed. A group of terrorists had hijacked American aircraft and outsmarted national security. Innocent lives were lost, serving as sacrifices of the United States. When it seemed as if all hope was lost, the nation pulled together, instead of tumbling like the Twin Towers. The United States of America had not been defeated; she had been united.

Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin had a large task in front of them when deciding the outline for our country. Today, the Fourth of July is celebrated annually. Millions of Americans gather to celebrate the accomplishments of these great men. Life in the United States has consisted of many trials and triumphs since the day independence was attained. Yet, everything goes back to our founding fathers. America would not be the same country it is today had it not been for the revolution 226 years ago. Through dedication and the unity of American citizens, this heritage lives on. The United States of America will never be forgotten.