A Vermonter
A Vermonter
By Haley Rae Harder
Renaissance School, Grade 5
Some people think to be a true Vermonter, you have to be born in Vermont, as do your grandparents and your great-grandparents. I don't think so. I think a true Vermonter just has to LOVE living here. He could have started life as a flatlander. He could even have been born in Florida, but as long as he loves it here, he is a true Vermonter.
I was born in Vermont, Burlington Vermont to be exact. I have lived here my whole life so far, and I love it here. My parents weren't born here, nor my grandparents or great-grandparents, but I think I am a true Vermonter.
A Vermonter like me will melt under the heat, but he will embrace cold weather. He will also dream of Florida, the Bahamas, and other beaches and islands, but he will wake up from his dream, happy to be in Vermont.
A Vermonter won't care how big this state is, or how many electoral votes it has. He will stand tall and proud of our small, but wonderful, government.
A Vermonter will appreciate the beauties of our state. He will love fall, with all the fiery colors. He will jump in leaf piles, climb trees, pick apples, and listen as his boots crunch over the fallen leaves. In the winter, he will sled and then come inside to enjoy hot cocoa with his family. He will also ski, snowboard, and make multiple snowmen. In the spring, he will look at all the beautiful flowers finally peeking out of the ground, count the buds on the apple trees, and enjoy maple sugaring. And finally, in the summer he will be outside most of the day, and go swimming and laugh with his friends.
A Vermonter will have his bad days too: failing a test in school, slipping on the icy sidewalk, and breaking a leg skiing. That last one happened to me, and I still love Vermont. But most of the time, a Vermonter is happy, even doing his homework, or listening to the teacher explain westward expansion. He knows he is happy, for he is almost always happy in Vermont.
A Vermonter will look out over the land and he will see farms, fields, ponds, Lake Champlain, and mountains bumping up from the land like a riffled blanket. A Vermonter will see those farms, and he will watch the cows and go vegetable picking. He will go on a hayride through an apple orchard to go pick red, juicy apples. Along with the vegetables and apples, he will also pick blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries.
A Vermonter will play sports like hockey, soccer, baseball, football, and basketball. He will be a team player and help everybody out. He will cheer his team, even when they lose the game.
A Vermonter will eventually grow up. When his children and grandchildren ask, "What can I be when I grow up?" he will answer, "Anything you want, because a Vermonter is so strong that he can take on anything." The child will absorb these words and from that moment on, he will never give up trying.
A Vermonter will travel to many different states and even countries, but he will always know that his heart belongs in Vermont. He will visit all kids of spaces and places, but he will always come home.
I know some people think your whole family needs to have been born here to be a Vermonter, but others say a true Vermonter is not someone who was born in Vermont, but someone who chooses to die here. I agree.