‘The voice that is heard is the loudest voice’: Laurel students learn how to speak up for reform – The Laurel Outlook

Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge in the News

Article and Photo Source: The Laurel Outlook, Original Article

By Jaci Webb, July 2, 2024

Touring historical sites in Philadelphia and meeting with students from all over the U.S. had a huge impact on three Laurel students when they participated in  the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge program.

Yet, when the April trip was over and they were back home discussing the trip with others, the students realized that the most important lesson they learned was how to use your voice for good.

“If you never send that letter to the governor, you haven’t used your voice,” said LHS student Owen Foote.

Foote was joined by Nathan Stewart and Alivia Webinger, who will all be seniors in the fall. Stewart said one of the speakers used the story of a young girl who was concerned about her local animal shelter putting down stray dogs and cats too quickly after they were picked up. She wrote a letter to the governor, and was able to get the animals’ time in the shelter increased to give them a better chance of being rescued.

“It definitely made me feel more confident about using my voice,” Stewart said. “The voice that is heard is the loudest voice, and it has to be loud to change what needs to be changed.”

It is important for young people to get involved in their communities, Stewart said, noting that Laurel needs more recreational opportunities for young people, including a skate park.

“If more folks talked and worked together on things, the more we could get done,” Stewart said.

The students have been giving presentations about their experience with the Freedoms Foundation, including talks at CHS Refinery and the Billings Exchange Club. They hope to expand Montana’s participation in the program next year by including more student representatives from the area.

In order to be selected for the Freedoms Foundation, students completed  an application and obtained references, then finalists were interviewed by educators from across the country via Zoom. In all, 120 students participated in the program from Montana, California, Utah and Wisconsin.

“I learned that it’s not all black and white,” Foote said. “They have different prospectives than we do, but we have many similarities as well.”

They toured historic sites, including the liberty bell, and Valley Forge, an important military encampment during the Revolutionary War. Students held a mock congress where they fine-tuned bills that they introduced to their peers, and they learned the art of compromise. This was all crammed into a short trip to Philadelphia with their teacher  Amy Caldeira.

Webinger was impressed with being able to see Philadelphia, knowing that it was the birthplace of our country.

“Being in Montana where our history is so recent, it was crazy to see the place where our nation was built,” Webinger said.

During Laurel’s Fourth of July parade, the students planned to hand out copies of the U.S. Constitution.

Reflecting on the program, and the impact it made on him, Foote said, “It’s an experience that I’ll never forget.”