Sarah SingerMadison HS, Vienna VAClass of 2015

History Honor Society Application Essay

Where ever I traveled with my family to visit historic places, I have tried to imagine living my life in their heyday. During my elementary and middle school years, we visited civil war battlefield and towns near Gettysburg, Antietam, and Bull Run. I discovered that there was so may stories behind all the people who lived in places I visited.

Sparked Interest in American History

Visiting Civil War historic sites sparked my interest in learning more intriguing stories about history of our country. Reading about the formation of our country spurred my interest in learning about other places around the globe from which so many American families ancestors have immigrated.

This sparked my insatiable appetite for learning more about history during my elementary and middle school years. I became interested in learning the histories of the places that people’s families came from. I started noticing common themes and discovering human connections which brought to life what before were only dry and dull names and dates in my history text book.

Architecture and History

When my family and I visited Charleston, South Carolina the big name attraction was Fort Sumter. Afterwards, we wandered through historic downtownl accidentally happened upon the Dock Street Theatre. This theatre first opened in in 1736, was the first in the United States listed on the National Historical Places Registry and had been recently been restored.

When I was a freshman at Madison High School I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to visit Paris, France, with my family. We took the Paris subway to iconic monuments. I was most moved not by Eiffel Tower, but the Arc de Triomphe. As we strolled up the wide sidewalks of the Place de l'Étoile, we saw the massive richly sculptured frieze of soldiers at the open the Arc de Triomphe looming in the distance An awful chill ran through me, as I viewed a monument in honoring those who died in the French revolution and the portentous image of the Nazis

stomping through during World War Two. The images stayed with me as we walked down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées toward the Louvre.

History in the 21 st Century

Living in the 21st century it seems that civilization’s history fades into obscurity while were all bombarded by the images and sounds of popular culture at every turn. Globalism makes the world seem smaller yet intimidating. Coming to understand our world from the perspective of the past can be comforting. There is so much to learned. Archeologists continue to uncover treasures from our past. Their discoveries along with the treasures in our museums provide us with the perspective of those who lived in different cultures and eras. This insight my help keep us grounded as we all face an uncertain future.

Leadership Proposals for the JMHS History Honor Society

As the prospective leader of our History Honor Society I would propose historical themed activities to commemorate our country’s collective past. Members will get involved with productive and rewarding volunteer group activities, which will allow students to learn deeply and personally of history, such as the unspeakable atrocities of the Holocaust during Holocaust Remembrance Day. Members should show evidence of devotion to the history of our community, our state and our country. I believe it would be ideal to require at least one attendance per year, to a registered historical sight.

In the past, historical movies were played in Warhawk Hall and constituted as service hours. I think it would be a great idea to reintroduce at least one historical film to be shown in Warhawk Hall per year. Since it would be required, students would have a chance to be acquainted with others members as they discuss the film, and write a brief review or synopsis of the film.

I recommend that we take full advantage of our proximity to Washington, DC, by planning at least two museum field trips, one next fall and one in the spring of 2015. For example we could visit a specific section of the American History Museum, and then walk up to a historical site like Ford’s theatre on nearby F Street.

I suggest that we brainstorm during the first meetings to identify rewarding ideas to fulfill the requirement that half of service hours must be history related. If a member already works or regularly volunteers at a museum, participates in historical reenactments or volunteers at a historical site, this requirement would be fulfilled.

2014-2015 JMHS History Honor Society Leadership Team

If chosen as part of the JMHS History Honor Society Leadership Team ,I promise to work diligently to help generate a sense of fun and enthusiasm among the members of History Honor Society next year Together we can make the society even more close knit and collaborative than ever before. We will get to know each other, our community and mutual family history through our field trips, movies, at the Freeman Store, Claude Moore Park and other nearby historic spots.

I am committed to conscientiously serving our History Honor Society. I offer as evidence my track record in previous leadership roles JMHS organizations. My service as Editor of the Literary Magazine, In-depth editor of The Hawk Talk and Vice President of Amnesty International shows that I can and will deliver on my commitments.