america must change....

look out world
kudos 2 r Maya third year in a row she has placed in this citywide contest
where she gets the nerve 2 speak is beyond me
she does it with poise and purpose

2005 3rd place 5th grade bottom of post

2006 1st place 6th grade linked

2007 2nd place 7th grade in video and as printed below

������America must change������
Maya George

2007

Some things are easy to change: clothes, hairstyle, and the arrangement of furniture. But, many things are harder to change, like how we live and how we choose to treat each other. The United States of America is at a breaking point where we need to change. The time has come where we must listen to Dr. Martin Luther King when he said that America must change. We can do that by caring for our planet and for each other.

Former Vice President, Al Gore, has helped many people throughout the world see that our planet is suffering from global warming. This Earth, our home, will not make it much longer, without our help. In 2006, the United States of America consumed, according to the U.S energy information website, 25% of the world���s energy. That doesn���t seem so bad until you realize that the people of the United States take up only 5% of the world���s population. That shows that we must change!

Every person needs to do their part. Adults should buy cars that don���t create as much pollution, or even walk to work if you live close enough! If you want to have applesauce for lunch; don���t buy already packaged containers, buy a large jar of applesauce and put it in your own containers that can be washed and reused. At dinner, use cloth napkins instead of paper. Don���t put your recycling into the garbage can; it creates landfills which are a huge factor in global warming! If we put things in landfills that aren���t supposed to be there, then we are actively polluting our planet. We must remember to recycle! Did you know that every house in Milwaukee has a recycling bin? Are they used? I went to 10 recycling bins on my block, and only 6 of them were used at all. It doesn���t take a lot of effort to take care of thee earth, but it does take everyone doing their part.

People are all different; we all have different personalities and backgrounds. If a new student came into my class who was from a faraway place, it might be a little awkward. But, no matter how unusual they were, I would never think to treat this person differently from my other classmates. Our country has a history of treating some citizens poorly; we live in the shadow of slavery and discrimination. No one should forget how wrong it is to judge people by their outward appearance. We should only judge people by their words and actions! Unfortunately, many Americans today still choose to discriminate, and that causes many of us to think we need to change who we are in order to fit in. What really matters is a person���s character, NOT sexual orientation, age, disability, gender, or any other outward characteristic. For a peaceful America, we MUST cancel out ALL the ���ism���s���: racism, ageism, sexism and ALL other bias that prevents us from appreciating one another for who we REALLY are.

Author Leo Tolstoy once stated, ���Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.��� The only way America will change is if each and every one of us commits to inner change��� changing how we care for our amazing planet and changing how we treat one another.

Let���s choose kindness and caring over apathy.
America must change, and that change begins with me������.. and���.with you.
((((((

Thank you.

3rd Place Citywide

"A Dream for Education"

Maya George 2005

It is true that education and learning have become tools for shaping the future. It is also very important, because without education and learning, we wouldn���t have a bright future. Dr. Martin Luther King had a dream that all kids regardless of skin color would live together as one. When we learn about history, like when Dr. King was alive, we learn it���s better to work together than to fight one another. When there is fighting, it���s like living inside a horror movie. Please let me explain what these sayings mean to me.

Some kids don���t like waking up early every morning and having to go to school. I have had to realize that without an education, I can do nothing. But, with an education, I can do anything. Every new thing a child learns opens a door to more learning. If I stay in school, many doors will open for me. For example, my dream is to become a chemist. The only way this door will open for me is with learning. If I keep this dream in my heart, then I will have the drive to make it come true.

Dr. King had a beautiful dream, and this dream will not come true unless all children stay in school and learn. If we take the time to listen and learn, we find that people who look different than us aren���t really different on the inside. Every person has inherent value, no matter who they are. Even if a person lives across the ocean and lives very differently from us, he or she is still valuable. The tiniest baby, the oldest of the old���all are needed to make our world a wonderful place to live. People need to realize that most problems in our world would be solved if people just took the time to learn about each other.

Education and learning are the keys to peace and happiness, as well as tools for shaping the future���my future���and yours.