Honorable Mention - Elementary Division
Alcott Elementary
8th Grade Communications Class
Norman, OK
"It has been said that the voice of a child speaks out above all others". We, Ms. Slatten's eighth grade creative communications class, used this quote as the inspiration for our collage. We used pictures of students at Alcott in an outline of our state to represent the voices of children in the great state of Oklahoma. Each color represents an aspect of Oklahoma's geography. The blue at the bottom of the state is synonymous with the Red River, while the green in the northwest part of the state represents the Kansas wheat fields. The black running through the middle of the state representsthe highways 1-35 and 1-40. The pink in the west portion of the state represents our famed Rose Rock Canyon. The red in the middle section of the state is signifies Oklahoma University, while the orange in the northeast portion of the state corresponds to Oklahoma State University. The white, grey, and black in the eastern portion of the state are synonymous with the Wichita Mountains. The blue in the mid-north portion of the state characterize the great Lake Eufaula while the yellow and brown in the western portion of the state symbolize the vast areas of fields. The stamps of all the states represent the voices of children throughout the whole country. The donkey and elephant represent the different opinions of the children in the country and the bumper stickers represent the fact that we have great ideas and opinions similar to the adult opinions and ideas of the country.
"When adults fight and close their minds to other thoughts and ideas, it sometimes blinds them from seeing what they have become. Then a child, whose world is so simple, speaks the obvious". This quote, from one of the many essays we collected, states that children's opinions can be so simple that adults don't even take the time out of their day to listen to them. Adults are not the only people who can be involved in politics. Kids can be involved in politics physically, verbally, and emotionally. "Politics effect our entire society not just those old enough to vote." If we are members of this country why shouldn't we be able to have a say in our country's political issues. Our country surrounds its children with politics in their everyday lives, and then tells them that their opinions don't count or don't actually matter.
"The hardest part when you are a kid is getting people to listen". Our parents say that our opinions matter to the world when they know they really will not for another five or six years. Our country thinks it is right to have the voting age at 18 when begin learning about politics
at the ages of 11 and 12. If we are learning about politics that early then we definitely have opinions about the issues that are voted on. We are just like adults in the fact that we have opinions based on what we see on the news or hear from others. Just because we are younger does not mean that our opinions are not as meaningful as any others in the country. We are the future of the United States, so why not, let us vote on what we think is best for our generation instead of what our parents and guardians think is best for the future. We are the future senators and presidents and we know what would be best for our future country.
Ms. Slatten's 8th grade Creative Communications Class
Alcott Middle School
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