Yes Virginia-- They Would Be Proud
I have recently taken on a volunteer position that has caused quite a steep learning curve which demands attending meetings, writing reports, and generally stretching my organizational abilities to new heights.
The most recent duty that has been required of me is to gather up and judge the annual Remembrance Day Essay and Poster Contest at the second level of the competition. The preparation for this involves the timely collection of entries from schools and communities within my area. This includes several phone calls and making plans to meet to gather entries all designed to avoid costly postage . This frenzy of activity having been accomplished I then proceeded to approach people in the community and organizations to see who could and would be able to join me in an afternoon of diligent judging.
A time and place was chosen and gratefully I was joined by two others who are well versed in evaluating both written and artistic works.
The afternoon was cold but sunny. Being December we were all stealing time away from Christmas duties and preparations. As I placed my collection of boxes, mailing tubes, file folders, and large manila envelopes containing approximately 100 plus pieces of items to be judged we chatted and laughed about the weather, baking, and the general pre Christmas goings on.
Something happened however that none of us had expected. As each of us dutifully started sorting and placing items in their designated places on tables around the room quiet comments could be heard such as "Wow", "Look at this", and " Jeepers". We all had become affected by the quality of the work done by the entrants in form, detail, and creativity not to mention the depth of understanding exhibited on the topic of Remembrance.
We took turns reading the poems and essays out loud to one another and on more than one occasion the reader had to pause because tears were forming in the eyes of both the reader as well as the listeners.
What turned out to be a little afternoon get together to perform a simple task turned out to be a very moving and rewarding and humbling experience. We were not only impressed with the quality of entries but we also realized that these beautifully crafted tokens of Remembrance did not happen in a vacuum. It was evident that these young people had been well taught, well informed, and well raised by not only by their parents and the education system, but also by the community at large.
Poster and Essay Contests are designed to enlighten and inform our young people but it seems that they also do more than that. They serve as evidence that many many good things are being done to help our youth value the sentiments of Remembrance Day.
Finally, following the theme of one of the essay writers one can surely say:
"Those Whom We Remember Would Be Proud That We Remember So Well"
I have recently taken on a volunteer position that has caused quite a steep learning curve which demands attending meetings, writing reports, and generally stretching my organizational abilities to new heights.
The most recent duty that has been required of me is to gather up and judge the annual Remembrance Day Essay and Poster Contest at the second level of the competition. The preparation for this involves the timely collection of entries from schools and communities within my area. This includes several phone calls and making plans to meet to gather entries all designed to avoid costly postage . This frenzy of activity having been accomplished I then proceeded to approach people in the community and organizations to see who could and would be able to join me in an afternoon of diligent judging.
A time and place was chosen and gratefully I was joined by two others who are well versed in evaluating both written and artistic works.
The afternoon was cold but sunny. Being December we were all stealing time away from Christmas duties and preparations. As I placed my collection of boxes, mailing tubes, file folders, and large manila envelopes containing approximately 100 plus pieces of items to be judged we chatted and laughed about the weather, baking, and the general pre Christmas goings on.
Something happened however that none of us had expected. As each of us dutifully started sorting and placing items in their designated places on tables around the room quiet comments could be heard such as "Wow", "Look at this", and " Jeepers". We all had become affected by the quality of the work done by the entrants in form, detail, and creativity not to mention the depth of understanding exhibited on the topic of Remembrance.
We took turns reading the poems and essays out loud to one another and on more than one occasion the reader had to pause because tears were forming in the eyes of both the reader as well as the listeners.
What turned out to be a little afternoon get together to perform a simple task turned out to be a very moving and rewarding and humbling experience. We were not only impressed with the quality of entries but we also realized that these beautifully crafted tokens of Remembrance did not happen in a vacuum. It was evident that these young people had been well taught, well informed, and well raised by not only by their parents and the education system, but also by the community at large.
Poster and Essay Contests are designed to enlighten and inform our young people but it seems that they also do more than that. They serve as evidence that many many good things are being done to help our youth value the sentiments of Remembrance Day.
Finally, following the theme of one of the essay writers one can surely say:
"Those Whom We Remember Would Be Proud That We Remember So Well"
