Proceedings, 1997

chance to walk in Gina Flint's
footsteps as the feature baton twirler.
Now at my school they have all of
the eighth graders file into the
cafeteria and sit scrunched in the
elementary lunch tables where we
were to fill out our schedules. When
we are finished, we simply turn in
the schedule and return to class. I
was just about to finish my schedule
when one of my friends looked over
and said, "Holly, you're not really
"
7 going to sign up for band, are you
I said, "Yeah, I'm planning on it."
And she said, "but Holly, don't
you realize that band is just not the
thing to be in at East Clinton High
School? You would be a band geek.
Do you really want to go into high
school as a geek? You're going to
ruin your reputation. We just don't
know if we will be able to hang out
with you if you are in band."
With that, she and my other
friends turned in their schedules and
left me sitting all alone at that
elementary lunch table. They left me
to make one of the biggest decisions
I ever had to make. You know, I have
been faced with many situations
where I probably have not made the
best choices, just ask my parents.
But looking back to that day, I made
one of my very best decisions, I
decided that I had to do what was
right for me, rather than what was
popular. I made a decision to take a
nsk and sign up for band, because I
knew that was best for me.
It is so easy to get pulled into a
group where you begin to ask the
questions-"How can you be part of
the group? How can you be just like
them' How can I fit in?" We get so
wrapped up in following the crowd,
we stop doing things that are right
for us. We stop following our own
dreams and we begin to settle for
much less than we deserve.
A true hero does not rely on
popularity A true hero takes the risk
to do what is right for him or her. It
may not be the most popular thing
to put on these blue and gold jackets
in your school. You may have had to
take a risk to get involved and come
here to Kansas City, and for that I
congratulate you. Because what sets
each of us apart, what make us
unique, what makes us different,
it It only takes a kind
act and a minute to
become extraordinary
in another person's
eyes. "
what makes us extraordinary in the
eyes of another, is the ability to take
a risk. We shouldn't worry about
what others think, but instead take a
risk to find what is right for us and
chase our own dreams. That's what it
means to be a true hero.
If there is one thing that I have
learned through all of my travels this
year, it is that everyone does need
heroes. Elementary students.
teachers, parents, business people,
your friends, even national officers
need heroes.
We commonly look for these
heroes on television, in the news, or
in famous individuals. In my travels
this year, 1 have seen many
extraordinary heroes. No, I did
not see them on TV, but I did see
them when I was climbing a
mountain in Alaska, when I was
sitting at a state convention in
Illinois, when I was playing on
barn swings in Missouri, and when
I was walking across a college
campus in New Jersey. In fact
during every one of my trips I have
met people who are already true
heroes, they just may not realize it.
To this very day, Gina Flint does not
know she is my hero. She has no
idea the impact she made in my life
the day she taught me to do a toss,
turn-around catch.
It does not matter what state you
live in, what your age is, what your
talents, skills or looks are. What
matters is that somewhere there is a
third grader with big eyes staring up
The Real Face in the Crowd
Brad Montgomery
National FFA Vice President— Central Region
McDonald, Kansas
We all stand out in a crowd in life, a
crowd in which there are many faces
— all unique but with two distinct
types of faces: those that shine and
those that don't. To shine is to stand
out in a crowd so that others can see
your light; to have a power and will
so great that it creates a powerful
distinction above all other distrac-
tions. With a shine, you have a
power to be real, not just another
face in the crowd.
Super-heroes can stand out no
matter where they are. When I was
four, I watched super-hero cartoons
35^
at my grandma's house. That is
where I was first introduced to the
Green Lantern, an early 80s super
hero who wore a very powerful ring.
This ring could perform a number of
tasks, but its most powerful feature
was to shoot a green power beam
and destroy all enemies of truth and
justice. The real catch was that only
the Green Lantern's will and power
from within enabled him to shoot
the beam. Well, I thought that if I
willed hard enough, I could be just
like Green Lantern and shoot a
power beam out of my ring — so, I
strained very hard and squinted my
at you. Whether you know it or not-
or whether you will ever know it-
you may be their hero.
The questions you need to answer
now are, "Will you decide to step up
and be that true hero? Will you take
time to share your talents with
others? Will you decide to be that
ordinary person who becomes
extraordinary in the eyes of another?
Will you choose to be a true hero?"
Just as the flame burns steadily on
a fire baton, true heroes have a flame
that burns within their life. You
must make the decision to light that
fire within you, to light the fire that
gives you the strength to chase after
your dreams and do what is right for
you. Make the decision to not only
let the fire burn but to share sparks
with others. When you do that, you
will be amazed at how many fires
you will light in other lives.
FFA members, you have what it
takes. Don't be ordinary, be
extraordinary. Be a true hero.
eyes to try to make my official toy
Green Lantern Ring shoot this power
beam. I can remember going to
church one Sunday actually thinking
that I was the Green Lantern, only to
be given a strange look from my
Sunday School teacher when I
simulated a strained look to get my
power beam to shoot. In the end, I
only had the chance to look like the
Green Lantern when Mom bought
my brothers and me Under-Roos.
We would conquer the universe and
stand above all others there on our
farm, in our blue, red and green
skivvies. I soon grew out of the