Cooperation on a battlefield

On Sunday, September 28, South Western High School partnered with Hanover High School to complete a service project at the Gettysburg Battlefield (NPS site). Approximately 20 students from the two schools worked between rain showers to support the battlefield reclamation project. Essentially, large sections of battlefield have become "battle-forests" and the park service is working to restore the area to similar conditions that existed during the battle. Sections of trees have been cleared away and now there is a need to plant the grasses that would have been in their place. Instead of the NPS spending valuable funds on native grass seed, the students spent the day collecting seed from the existing grasses. Not only does this save funding for other projects but is also more environmentally sustainable since it removes the need for transportation of grass seed from another location.

In addition to all of the students who gave up part of their weekend, special thanks goes to Allison Frederick, president of Hanover HS Student Council and Sarah Cashdollar, president of South Western Student Council for organizing the day. Also, Brady Bialek and Emily LeFevre for their continued efforts as conference co-chairs to support the National Park Service. Lastly, Jennifer Gomulka and Kyle Kauffman were the advisors from Hanover and South Western respectively.

Arches National Park

Last week I experienced one of the most bizzarre landscapes ever. Arches National Park in Moab, Utah is very remote desert. It has a lot of sand and slick or red rock whichever you prefer. Awhile back this park caused some problems for the National Park Service. A lot of people started calling them the National Paving Service because there is a long winding road that goes right through the remote wilderness of Arches. People were upset with this because they felt that the NPS was there to protect and conserve the backcountry. Now dont get me wrong that is one of the main goals of the National Park Services goals, but they are also there to give the opportunity to public so that they can experience the great and vast wilderness without having to hiking into dangerous and treacherous lands. Now I am big outdoorsman and eventhough I dont like the idea of a road going through a beautiful area I understand that it is the right thing to do. National parks are one thing I feel this entire country can agree on. These past couple years have been pretty rough on Americas people. I feel that it has split us apart and that one thing that can help pull us together is the National Parks. Now this anology might be kinda dumb but I think it really illustrates what America is going through. We are in a giant game of capture the flag (power). Where two sides are constantly arguing. The National Parks are no mans land and gives us something in common.

Flight 93 National Memorial

On June 19th, I made a stopped at the Flight 93 National Memorial on my way home from Johnstown and it was an amazing experience. Even though there weren't any buildings or visitors' centers, the items left there in memory said enough. There was a wall with thousands of shirts, buttons, hats, signs, stickers, and more than anyone could imagine. There were also guardrails with stickers all over them around the stone memorials of all of the fallen US citizens, firefighters, police officers, and soldiers.

Meeting the Director at the National Cemetary

Yesterday June 5th I was privileged to meet the National Director of the National Park Service Mary Bomar. She gave the Gettysburg Address at Gettysburg National Cemetary. The ceremony was very moving. She was reading words that had been read in the same area many years ago. It sent chills down your spine. After her speech I got to talk to her personally. She is a very down to earth lady. I spoke to her about our State Service Project and what are vision of the project is. She sounded very excited. As the Director she gave me some help with ideas of where to go from here. This experience was unforgettable.  

Gettysburg National Military Park

On Monday June 2nd a diverse group of Key Club and Student Council members took a trip up to the new Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitors Center. The Visitors Center offers an inside view into the lives of the soldiers and civilians that were involved in the battle. The museum used very emotional videos to show the turmoil that the soldiers and community of Gettysburg endured. The museum had all sorts of interactive computers that allowed us to get a better feeling of the battle. The Gettysburg Address room stands out the most to me. It was an extremely powerful room that hit home the leadership that was needed to overcome this great Altercation. In this picture it really shows the concept of the power of one (right). 

 After we finished at the visitors center we took the whole group and went to Ruby Tuesdays. Once everyone had ordered their food we had the each person reflect on his or her experience at the visitors center and their reaction. Kyle Barnhart ,a junior in Student Council, said, " It was a breathtaking experience learning what our forefathers had to go through to get everybody equality. It really opened my eyes to the different types of leadership and our theme it begins with you, really hit home. I realized that everybody is just ordinary until they take charge and then they become a leader." This experience changed the lives of the eighteen individuals that went.   

Gettysburg Trip

On November 18, a group of us (Alston, Brady, Emily, and I, Sarah) took a trip to Gettysburg National Park. We wanted to visit and check out all it had to offer, and it seemed like a good weekend to do so because Gettysburg was actually celebrating the 144th Anniversary of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. So that afternoon we met at school, packed into Alston’s car, and headed west.

When we reached town, our first stop was the Visitors’ Center. As a first time visitor, I was very impressed. It was like a museum, all on the Civil War and the Battle of Gettysburg. As we walked around and saw all of the artifacts and got to see what life was like at the time of the war, we really became immersed in the Gettysburg experience. It was a good way to start our visit.

Next, we drove over to Devil’s Den, an expanse of huge boulders that, as Brady the history buff informed us, was defended by the Union during the battle and was also a spot for snipers. We walked around the boulders, in and out of the caves, as Alston and Brady kept pretending to fall so they could watch Emily and me scream. We took a lot of pictures here…as previously mentioned, the rocks were massive, so of course Alston needed to have a picture standing on top of the highest one. As he tried to climb up, a group of preschoolers on a field trip crowded around, waiting to watch him fall. It was pretty funny.

Our next stop was an extremely tall viewing tower. Emily and I just about died climbing all the steps to the top! But it was well worth it…the view was spectacular. We could see the fields for about a 10 miles in each direction. And again, Alston and Brady made jokes about falling from the top. By then Emily and I were getting really cold, so we got back into Alston’s car and drove over to Little Round Top.

This was also a site successfully defended by the Union army during the battle. And it, too, had a really nice view. We walked around and took a lot of pictures, and Alston and Brady climbed more rocks. There was also a really cool tower that we climbed up, and of course, made jokes about falling off of. As the temperature got lower, we decided to head home.
Before leaving town, we got dinner at a little pizza shop near Gettysburg College. Although only a couple of hours long, our experience at Gettysburg had been not just really fun, but also very memorable. By visiting a park that was only 30 minutes away from where we live, we were able to learn about and appreciate one of the most important battles of our nation’s history. We look forward to more trips similar to this!

-Sarah Cashdollar

Here are some pictures. Both are taken in the exact same spot at different times in history.

Before:

After:

Introduction to 2008 PASC Service Project

Pennsylvania Association of Student Councils
State Service Project 2008
National Park Service
“Preparing for Our Future by Preserving Our Past”
Coordinated by South Western Student Council, Host of the 2008 PASC State Conference

The National Park Service, founded in 1916, preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The Park Service cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world. In an increasingly uncertain world, we can become better leaders and people who are working for a better future by learning from our past. To promote that endeavor, PASC and the South Western Student Council have partnered with the National Park Service and their Centennial Initiative to coordinate a state service project that seeks to raise funds, awareness, and commitment to the educational value of our National Park System and the 26 Pennsylvania sites.

State Service Project... easy as 1, 2, 3

1. Raise Funds
Use the leadership capacity of your Student Council and generosity of your school and community to raise funds to help financially support the National Park Service’s educational and outreach programs. Each PASC member school is challenged to raise a minimum of $400 to prepare for the future by preserving our past. Suggested fundraising ideas, reporting forms, and additional information can be found at www.origins2008.org and supporting media for the NPS Centennial Initiative is available at www.nps.gov/2016. Your financial support will provide for the greatest impact!

2. Volunteer
In addition to raising funds, your Student Council may want to seek out volunteer opportunities at your local NPS site. Some sites are suited for large groups to volunteer while others can only accommodate small groups or individuals. For your local NPS contact and more information, go to www.origins2008.org

3. Visit
Lastly, your Student Council could arrange a fieldtrip to experience the educational and inspirational value of local NPS sites. In addition, you could promote NPS and the Centennial Initiative throughout your school and community. For your local NPS contact and more information, go to www.origins2008.org

Origins: It Begins with You
PASC 2008 State Conference: November 13, 14 & 15, 2008

The mission of the South Western High School Student Council in hosting the 2008 PASC State Student Council Conference is to influence delegates so powerfully that they return to their schools and communities committed to make a difference; to design experiences in "vision, character, and change" to serve as the Origin of a journey into self-assessment and self-discovery for each delegate; to provide an interactive, challenging, and supportive environment where delegates clarify a vision for the future, strengthen their character, & come to believe change is possible; and to communicate that "It Begins with You."