BGMPS student wins first place in DAR Essay contest

Reece Perez, a seventh-grade student from Bishop Garriga Middle Preparatory School, won first place in the July 4th essay contest sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution. He was honored at an awards ceremony on June 26 by Corpus Christi Mayor, Joe McComb, who read a proclamation during a city council meeting at City Hall.

In addition to receiving recognition for the award, Reece accompanied Mayor McComb in the Corpus Christi Mayor's Fourth of July Big Bang Celebration Parade on July 4. He also received an Amazon Fire tablet and will attend a special luncheon at Katz 21 with his parents, Rene and Melissa Reece, and the DAR chapter on Sept. 21.

Connor McCullion, another seventh-grade student from Bishop Garriga Middle Preparatory School, won third place and he received a one-year family membership for the Lexington Museum on the Bay.

Contestants were students from fifth-seventh grade and the essays (between 600-1,000 words) had to reflect on the deeper meaning of the Fourth of July and describe how the nation celebrates the national holiday. 

Read the essay and see photos below:
 

What does the 4th of July mean to me?   By Reece Perez   Like most 12 year old boys, 4th of July means firecrackers and well, more firecrackers and more firecrackers.  Actually, I start getting excited in late May early June when I begin to see all the firework stands outside the city limits.  I also, think about my parents having a “paid holiday” and we will go the Texas State Aquarium or the Science Museum to watch the city of Corpus Christi firework show.  Maybe go to the park with friends to watch them.  It is a fun day for the City of Corpus Christi, with the Mayor’s Big Bang Celebration and other activities going on.  We always find something fun to do.  Two years ago, we went to the dock area by the museum and we were waiting for the fireworks to start but there was a technical difficulty and the anticipation for the show to start was fun as we listened to music and the Harbor Bridge lights were flashing.  Some of the kids in the area bought lights from a street vendor and we were waving them around while eating ice cream.  Once the show started it was amazing to see the sky light up!  I didn’t want the show to end; I always wish the show would last longer.  I loved the time my dad took me to my uncle’s ranch in Alice, TX and I popped so many firecrackers, bottle rockets, big mortar shots and I can’t forget the sparklers with my cousins.  While we were running around my mom watched nervously praying we wouldn’t hurt ourselves.  That’s usually what she does when fireworks are involved.   This is a moment that changed my 4th of July. I was attending the City of Corpus Christi parade to see my dad representing his department in the parade. I remember sitting next to a Veteran and admiring his reverence toward our flag and the branches of the military as they passed by.  I watched him and could see the seriousness on his face and the thoughts he probably had being a Veteran.  When the parade was over, I thanked him for his service and on the way home my mom and I talked about it.  I realized my freedom is because of Veterans like him.  The sacrifices he and many others went through to provide the freedom America has when so many countries don’t.  Because of men and women like him, I have the freedom of religion, the freedom to attend Catholic School, embrace my faith and pray as I choose.  In six years, I will get my right to vote and will honor my right as an American.   4th of July is a time for fun, family and fireworks but it’s also a time to reflect on our great nation.     Since 1776, the United States has gone on to be the most powerful nation in the world. Yet, we are a country with so much division among us.  Do we still believe the words of our Founding Fathers, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, John Jay and Alexander Hamilton when they said “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”.  I would like to believe our country still believes all men are created equal and we remember the men and women before us who fought in so many different ways for our freedom.  Especially, those who gave their lives for the freedom you and I have.