Lake Braddock Secondary School - Lair Yearbook (Burke, VA)

Page 367 text:

Nothing like a day outside with the ecology club to bolster Pat Breeden ' s spirits. Lieutenants Cheryl Shephard, Sharon Johnson, Lori Hopkins, and Debbie Howey cannot get over the size of the first place trophy the Intermediate Drill Team won at the Virginia State Drill Team Competition. “Let’s look at the men of the Continental Congress. Most of them were wealthy men, having large estates. These men, their families, and their fathers’ families worked hard to establish themselves. But when each one of these men signed his name to the Declaration of Independence, he was not only declaring his rights, he was also declaring his willingness to sacrifice his home, his property, his family, and even his life. They were willing to give up their materialistic gains in order to achieve a life of liberty. The last sentence of the Declaration of Independence says: ‘We mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.’ “Have you heard the expression, ‘I don’t want to get involved?’ I recently read of an incident that illustrates this attitude so common today. Many people were riding on a bus when a gang of youths boarded it and began taking people’s wallets, purses, and watches. The robbers were eventually caught, but the majority of the victims refused even to claim their own possessions because they didn’t want to get involved.’ Tell me, what would happen if everyone in our country refused to get involved, or what would have happened to America if our forefathers had refused to get involved? Where would we be today? Accepting responsibility seems to me to be a vital ingredient for preserving the rights our forefathers established. We can see that 200 years ago the men who built this nation were willing to sacrifice their lives, their liberty, and their happiness that we have had for so long. A broken water main should have been worth at least a half day off of school, but Mr. Webber and the custodians had the cafeteria in shape before lunch. “What am I willing to sacrifice for the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Will my children have the same great heritage? “The Bicentennial does not mean to me the visiting of the White House or the Capitol, nor the selling or wearing of buttons that say ‘Happy Birthday, America!,’ but a time when we can look back and see what our founding fathers did for us. We can see that because of their sacrifice we have inherited their rights, but we have also inherited their responsibilities. “And to me and my generation, this means that I must accept this responsibility, and I consider it a privilege to pass on to my children and my grandchildren this great heritage. Closing 963

Page 366 text:

During (ho Fall Festival Week Bonfire, two students sit quietly and exchange ideas. From the far end of the bleachers, it is possible for one to view LB s surrounding through a different perspective. FIGHTS RND FESPGMSIBIUTY In celebration of the Bicentennial year, scholarships and contests were sponsored by high schools and colleges. In an entry to the Voice of Democracy speech contest, Brian Phillips cites important points concerning our past and the meaning of this great country: What rights do you and I have because of our heritage? Our forefathers put it this way: ’We hold these truths to be self- evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.’ Ask yourself — ’Does violence threaten my life? Do I still have liberty when someone taps my telephone? Or. am I free to pursue happiness when I have lost my job because of a reduction in force? ' Do we still have rights to life, liberty, and happiness to the same e f x en as our forefathers did? Why then do we have so many acts ot violence in our country? What has happened to our inalienable rights? Have they been altered or are they now void? The men in the Continental Congress did not stop with just expressing their rights, but were willing to put their rights to an absolute test by pledging their property, their lives, and even their families. They expressed their rights through their responsibility. ■ u • res P° nsibi lity is part of our heritage. Each of us has inherited certain rights, but just having these rights is not enough — we must also accept the responsibility. itt 2 Closing

Page 368 text:

The summer of ’75 sported the newest styles as shown hy Gary Mahey: jeans, bare feet, and a tux. 364 Closing