March 3, 2010— Out of 50,000 entries spanning all 50 United States in the Being an American essay contest, Stow-Munroe Falls High School (SMFHS) senior Karen Angiulo earned honorable mention and $250 for her submission in the nationwide challenge, sponsored by the Bill of Rights Institute, located in Arlington, VA.
Students submitting an entry were required to write about being an American and share what civic value they believe is most important to being an American. Students were also required to discuss a founding document reflecting that value along with a historical figure who embodies it, and include examples of how that value has been or could be put into practice in their own lives.
Government students in three of Mrs. Trina Poole’s classes were given the essay assignment for classroom credit. Ms. Angiulo chose to write about Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” and Susan B. Anthony. Of all of the essays, 10 were chosen for submission to the contest.
“While in elementary and middle school, I was a seemingly mediocre student in math, and I managed to succeed with the least amount of effort; however, when I signed up to take an honors math class in high school, everything changed,” said Angiulo, who maintains a GPA of more than 3.6. “I soon found that my previous experiences with math did not sum up to the level of critical thinking I had to endure in the honors class. After countless tests with which I struggled, I finally took the initiative to change my ways. I studied every night, did homework to my fullest potential, and asked numerous questions until I was getting better grades. By the end of the semester, I had changed my failing standpoint to a more uplifting one, and by the end of the year, I had a solid B average. Once I realized that doing the least amount of work was not enough, I took the initiative to change. This simple act of initiative ultimately made me a better student and human being.”
The Bill of Rights Institute is a nonprofit educational organization. The contest’s national sponsor is David H. Koch, philanthropist and executive vice president of Koch Industries, Inc. Additional sponsors include Amway Global, the Stuart Family Foundation, the Jack Miller Family Foundation and the History Channel.
“I did not know what to expect when I chose this as an assignment for all of my students, and I was pleasantly surprised at the commitment they showed to the assignment,” said Poole, SMFHS government teacher. “I was so excited that Karen’s essay was selected and that she was able to earn a little bit of money for college next year.”
The Stow-Munroe Falls City School District is rated Excellent with Distinction by the Ohio Department of Education, an honor held by 116 school districts out of 613 statewide. For more information, visit www.smfcsd.org.
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