For some local sixth-graders, the meaning of freedom isn’t something you can look up in a dictionary.

Monday, April 30, 2001

For some local sixth-graders, the meaning of freedom isn’t something you can look up in a dictionary. It’s defined by their lives and their community.

It may be as simple as being able to choose their friends, or as serious as being free from discrimination.

&uot;It means you can go out and explore, and not be stuck in your chair,&uot; Brittney Beener said. &uot;It means having a choice on the things that you own or believe in, like religion, or where you want to work, or where you want to live.&uot;

Beener, Jordan Malimanek, and Isaac Johnson of Sibley Elementary School, and Melanie Cibert, Chelsea Hill and Brittany Schumaker of Halverson School are winners of this year’s Sertoma Club &uot;What Freedom Means to Me&uot; essay contest. The students were awarded a $50 United States Savings Bond and read their speeches before parents at a Friday awards luncheon. Entries were judged by club members looking for originality and thought, said club president Mary Ann Venem.

&uot;It’s a good time for them to kind of figure out their feelings (about freedom),&uot; Venem said. &uot;I think it’s something that will make a difference in their lives down the road.&uot;

&uot;I sat down one day … and I was in a quiet place, and I just thought thought about it by myself,&uot; Hill said.

Writing the essays made them think closely about the freedoms they take for granted, the students said.

&uot;People don’t think about it that much, but I think they should,&uot; Malimanek said.

&uot;A lot of people still judge, and that’s not smart,&uot; Johnson said.

The students agreed that being free is important to them, but it isn’t always easy.

&uot;I think freedom means that you have the right to do anything, but sometimes it might be the wrong thing,&uot; said Cibert.

Schumaker said her father served in the military for people’s freedom. He missed holidays and birthdays when he was on active duty, she said.

&uot;Those were some rough times,&uot; she said. &uot; But it was worth it.&uot;