Spirit of Douglas essay contest winners announced Submitted ArticleThe results are in for the 2012 Spirit of Douglas Essay Contest and this year’s winners hail from Sarah Marley Elementary, Loreto, and Douglas High School. All three winners will each receive a check prize of $500 for their published essays based on this year’s theme “A Douglas story that inspires me.” For the K-5 level, judges selected “The Run” written by Sarah Marley third grader Lexie Otero. Matteo Vlasic, an eighth grader at Loretto School, was judged the middle school winner for his essay on Miguel Gomez. DHS Senior Joseph Alvarez’s won in the high school level for his essay entitled “Gib Dawson-Hometown Hero”. Cochise College professors Denisse Cañez, Jay Treiber, and Dave Pettes served as judges in this year’s first-ever competition. Essays qualified based on word count (150 words or less) and were stripped of all identifying information prior to being submitted to the panel of judges. The panel reported their results back to the Spirit of Douglas Committee who in turn notified principals and coordinated with the Dispatch on Thursday and Friday of last week. Committee Chair, Danny dj Morales, shared his excitement for the upcoming awards social on Oct. 13 as a part of the Centennial Committee’s Authors and Artist Weekend. “This weekend belongs not only to the three winners, but to all the students, parents, teachers, principals, schools, judges, and contributors who united to author the Spirit of Douglas 2012,” Morales said. “It belongs to Ruby Sandoval from Clawson Elementary and Aleyda Cañez from Huber Middle School whose essays were nominated by their principals. It belongs to Huber’s honorable mentions like sixth grader Nathan Grijalva and eighth grader Mark Martinez.” As testimony to this sentiment, the committee worked with the Douglas Dispatch to ensure online publication of as many entries submitted to committee as possible. In addition to online, these entries will be displayed at a Spirit of Douglas booth at the Gadsden Hotel from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 13. “So many of the stories, including those exceeding 150 words, needed to be shared somehow,” Morales said. “This is the first contest and it will take time and lessons learned for it to get better and better.” Undeterred, Morales gives a sneak peek at the expansion of the Spirit of Douglas - “our next addition will be a Teacher of the Year Award with the same three levels and check prizes we saw in this year’s essay contest.” The plan, Morales said, is to seek nominations in part from parent teacher associations from all area K-12 schools. He underscores the key to the initiative’s continued success, “the Spirit of Douglas is all about our community coming together for the common goal of recognizing and promoting the excellence and positive stories of Douglas. I thank God for all our participants and contributors this year as well as our partners at the Douglas Dispatch and Wick Communications” The Douglas Centennial Committee, Voice of Douglas, and Douglas Dispatch would like to thank all those who contributed to include Friends of the Douglas Public Library, City of Douglas Youth Activity Fund, Christian Life Center, Maryelizabeth Hart, Dave Pettes, Jay Treiber, Denisse Cañez, and the Honorable Raúl and Mrs. Patricia Castro. “The Run" By Lexie Otero Sarah Marley Elementary School 3rd Grade Every year on Thanksgiving there is a run to raise money to help cancer patients in Douglas. The run was created by a lady that was diagnosed with cancer and survived. This is a story that inspires people to help others. Linda Gomez, the person who organizes the run, was diagnosed with cancer in 2000. She started the run to help other cancer patients in Douglas. She wanted a way to help her community. The run gives her a way to raise money for her goal. Linda has inspired people by accomplishing her dream of helping cancer patients in Douglas. She is an inspirational person because she survived cancer and decided to help people in her situation. Linda’s story is about inspiring people to help others. Hopefully this story inspires people to help others just like Linda does. "Miguel Gomez" By Matteo Vlasic Loreto School 8th Grade Miguel Gomez began as a worker with no thought that one day he’d own a general store and become one of Southern Arizona’s most influential men. His humble beginning was that as a chili picker in the fields; he then took a job at Mike Simon’s goods store. This inspired him to open Gomez Grocery. When the general store opened it became an instant success, turning into a central hub for Mexican workers and politicians in Southern Arizona! Miguel was a kind and smart man who cared for his community. When the workers at Phelps Dodge went on strike, he supported them; when a family wanted to have a baby or get married but couldn’t afford it he would lend them money with no interest charge. His store would help a generation to succeed and open a place for people to get involved in their government as a political hub. "Gib Dawson - Hometown Hero" By Joseph Alvarez Douglas High School 12th Grade Gib Dawson is the only Douglas football player to make it professional. Dawson grew up in Douglas where his father had a business and a bar. He is recognized for his performance and his records. Gib Dawson worked hard to be the best. As a sophomore, he played on a championship team. All the offensive backs on his college team were All Conference. Dawson finished his career with 1724 yards, still good for 16th all-time at UT. He then had a short career with the Green Bay Packers which was stopped because he was needed in the Korean War. After Dawson served his time in the Army, he decided to work in the wholesale liquor business. Dawson worked for many years before retiring. Gib Dawson is an example of if you work hard enough and have goals you can do anything. Other authors that contributed to this anthology included: Gerardo Abril, Jessica Ambriz, Axel Boneo, Aleyda Cañez, Melanie Coronado, Victoria Coronado, Elyzabeth Duarte, Lizbeth Gonzalez, Nathan Grijalva, Patrick Hoyack, Jocelyn Hurtado, Laura Hurtado, Orlando Collins Madrid, Mark Martinez, Danny Morales III, Michael Morales, Gissel Pedrego, Marlene Peralta, Rachel Robles, Stephanie Robles, Joanna Rocha, Ruby Sandoval, Savannah Saucedo, Manuel Soto, and Julian Toscano. Their essays appear below in alphabetical order by last name. “Douglas History” By: Gerardo Abril Paul Huber Middle School Grade: 6 Douglas is a small city in the county of Cochise situated on the U.S./Mexican border. Douglas has over 18,000 residents and was founded in 1901 and was later incorporated in 1905. Douglas was first established as a smelter site for the prosperous copper mines in Bisbee, Arizona. The town is named after mining pioneer James Douglas. There is also a history of cattle ranching and agriculture dating back to the 1800’s that continues to thrive to this day. The region also figures in the history of the Old West. Cochise County was home to many famous historical figures such as Geronimo, John Slaughter, Wyatt Earp, and Doc Holliday. The historic landmarks in Douglas itself include the Hotel Gadsden, Southern Pacific Railroad Depot, and Slaughter Ranch. If you enjoy the outdoors, the San Bernardino and Leslie Canyon Natural Wildlife Reserves are just minutes from town. “My Inspiration” By: Jessica Ambriz Paul Huber Middle School Grade: 7 What’s inspiring to me that makes me push harder every day? Well, there are many explanations, but one stands out. It’s not a thing, it’s someone. The person is my very own teacher, Ms. Secheslingloff. I can tell you about her, what’s inspiring about her and how she will make you achieve. First of all, she’s an awesome teacher of course. She helps you in any way she can. That’s true. She is also very fun. Those are mostly the main things about her. There are still many more. Next, what’s so inspiring about her? Well, she helps you all the way through. The moment you walk in her classroom, she’s there to support you through your life. It’s true. She will support you along the way. She makes you push harder until you achieve. This is what inspires me about her. Finally, she will push you to be one of the best. She will offer best options that way you could get a good career. Plus, she will make sure you get to go somewhere and have a job that you like. As you can see, this is who inspires me. She is an excellent teacher. Plus Ms. Secheslingloff will push you to become good. You see, Ms. Secheslingloff is a good teacher, but she is also an inspiration. “A Douglas Story That Inspires Me” By: Axel Boneo Clawson Elementary School Grade: 3 My name is Axel Boneo and I’m 8 years old. I don’t know about history of Douglas yet, but I want to tell a story about my family that inspires me. I have two parents, a sister and two dogs. My parents inspire me because they are always there for me, they buy me toys, good food, and when I grow up I want to be strong and funny like my dad, and nice and go to a lot of community meetings like my mom. My parents are always telling me how lucky I am to live in Douglas and also to have two cultures. They always say that living in the border is the best thing ever, because we get to have the best of both sides. “My Inspiration” By: Aleyda Cañez Paul Huber Middle School – Nominated for finalist by Principal Andrea Overman Grade: 7 Overcoming a life threatening disease takes great willpower, determination and faith. These are qualities that my mother, Monica Cañez, possesses. Her courageous and noble battle with a brain tumor is an inspiration to me. My mother was diagnosed with a stage two brain tumor in October of 2008. She has had a long and difficult recovery. What have I learned from my mother? I’ve learned to face my fears. Her tumor grew back to its original size and she had to have eleven weeks of radiation treatment away from home. She made it through the radiation like a champion. Through it all she manages to find strength, bravery, grace and faith to overcome obstacles. My admiration for her grows greater and greater every day. With her example and her teaching, I feel as if I can take on anything that comes my way. She is my inspiration and my rock. “Curtis A. Foster” By: Melanie Coronado School: Unknown Grade: Unknown This is the story of Curtis A Foster a Douglas resident. Curtis is not only a grandpa to me, but he has also inspired me in a lot of different ways. He worked for the City of Douglas for many years at the City Hall and also at the Douglas Public Library. Not only has he been dedicated to working for Douglas almost all his life, but he has also helped out with the Boy Scouts Troops 430. He organizes many events like the book fair done at Raul Castro 10th Street Park. Also the Cochise County Cycling Classic which is usually hosted also at the Raul Castro Park, this year it will be held at the Cochise County Fairgrounds on Saturday October 13, 2012. In this one, my mom, tia, and I will be participating. He has always been such a helping man and no, he does not only care about the City, he cares of City residents too. Two of the families he has helped out a lot are the Guillen and Ibarra family, without asking anything in return. My goal is to be like Curtis. I know I would be a wonderful person just like him someday. “The History of Douglas that Inspired Me” By: Victoria Coronado Ray Borane Middle School Grade: 6 The story of Douglas that inspired me was about the smelter that was in Douglas AZ. They began to construct the smelter in 1900 and they were finished building it by 1904 after which when the smelter in Bisbee was closed. At first, when the settlers began to come, they were determined to make Douglas a modern, clean, and healthful town. By the 1920s, there were eight miles of paved streets, 150 miles of drinking water lines, 27 miles of sewer lines, electricity, piped gas, and telephones, three city parks, 10 schools and seven churches. Also, the city of Douglas did not have a border between Agua Prieta, Sonora and Douglas, AZ. The town’s people casually passed almost every day until the revolutionary period of Mexico from 1910-1920. They had to put a large number of U.S. troops across the border to protect the border from any kind of invasion of Mexico as the need arose. When it became quiet again, Douglas became a tourist town. After a while, people were making lots and lots of money, but some bad things were happening. So, they decided to close the smelter, because of two reasons, one was because the mining in the town of Bisbee was out of metals in 1983 and also because they started to figure out that people were getting sick of cancer because of the smoke in the smelting industry. This inspires me because even though the people were getting so much money by the smelter industry, they decided to close it down because the people are more important than money. “A Douglas Story That Inspires Me” By: Elyzabeth Duarte Douglas High School Grade: 12 My sister is my inspiration. Since I was little I would look up to her, from borrowing her clothes and doing the same things to even sharing her favorite music bands. Guiding me through the dark when I was a child then guiding me through high school and very soon through college she has always been my hero. About two years ago she joined a local youth group called “Making a Difference,” following her footsteps so did I. When we joined, the group was struggling to write a play about Douglas life and the problems and obstacles we face as Douglas teenagers. She stepped right in, she wrote most of the play herself and in a couple months she accomplished what at times seemed impossible. At a point when the group was ready to give up and even though she was facing many personal problems, she taught the group never to give in. Writing the play was nothing less than hard. The plot was simple but picking only a handful of scenes and projecting them in the best way to portray a clear message was a challenge. She invested all her free time to the play. The group decided the best way to show the story was to have students from DHS teach the other students. She spent hours preparing and rehearsing with the students that would soon bring the play to life. She taught the group discipline and willpower. Determined to make this play the best, she spent more than her free time finishing the details. She took care of everything, from props to clothes to music and she even involved the Douglas Police Department, Fire Department, and U.S. Customs. She taught us all how to give something all you’ve got. The play was performed in front of every single Douglas High School student and it was a success. In about ten scenes and a short video we were able to cover over-protective parenting, divorce, rule-breaking, irresponsible partying, underage drinking, drug use, drug trafficking, teenage pregnancy, abusive relationships, and death. We noticed how the audience went crazy in the party scenes, went through a rush in a persecution scene and literally cried in the death scene. Our message went through. Unfortunately shortly after, the Making a Difference Youth Group stopped getting sponsored by the County. Not being able to raise enough money for the plans they had in mind for the future, the group broke up. We will sit down and talk about the things we could do to change this town. She holds on to all her plans and ideas and assures me that soon our MAD group will be back. She will be moving to Tucson to pursue a career and promises that if she gets a youth group started that she will do everything she can to come down every weekend to help us out. It is people like this, like my sister that we need to celebrate. People like her that do whatever they can to make a difference for our town. “What Inspired Me the Most About Douglas” By: Lizbeth Gonzalez School: Unknown Grade: 6 What inspired me the most about Douglas is how it got its name. At first, Douglas was founded in 1901 but the town had its beginnings several years before that. In the late 1890’s, it became apparent that copper smelting operations in Bisbee needed to be moved. Executives of Phelps Dodge Corp decided upon a site in the Sulphur Springs Valley and began building a railroad from Bisbee to the site in the 1900’s. This town was named by Phelps Dodge administrator James S. Douglas for his father, Dr. James Douglas, as a PD executive. Despite this, another copper company, the Calumet & Arizona, built a smelter in Douglas. It began operations in 1903, before PD’s Copper Queen smelter, and continued long after the Copper Queen was dismantled. While it was running, the Copper Queen also smelted ore from PD’s operation in Nacozari, Sonora. On January 1918, the Copper Queen produced almost 21 million pounds of copper. This required a workforce of about 1,600 men. Another 700 worked in the C&A smelter and about 600 worked for the El Paso & Southwestern Railroad. That year, Douglas reached its peak population of more than 17,000 people, not including soldiers stationed at U.S. Army Camp Henry J. Jones, east of town. Over-production during World War One bought about a mini-depression in the early 1920’s. Douglas recovered only to be plunged into the economic chaos of the Great Depression in the 1930s. On 1931, cash-rich and ore-poor Phelps Dodge merged with a cash-poor and ore-rich Calumet & Arizona. Always [a] technologically advanced company, the C&A smelter was deemed more modern than the Copper Queen, and so it was retained and the Copper Queen dismantled. Gradually conditions improved and in 1937, PD undertook an expansion and modernization of its smelter. As it had previously, during World War Two, the Douglas Reduction Works operated at capacity. Its twin stacks reportedly were the focus of stunt-seeking pilots stationed at the Douglas Army Air Force Base, built a few miles north of Douglas in 1942 to train bomber pilots and other officers. World War Two, the same as the previous war, that brought a surge of population to Douglas also pulled the town out of the doldrums, but it was the post-war years that saw a real surge in the economy. “A Douglas Inspiration” By: Nathan Grijalva Paul Huber Middle School – Selected as Honorable Mention Grade: 6 A person that lived and worked in Douglas for many years and that has inspired me in my life is my Tata Dr. George Spikes. The two major reasons he inspired me was because he helped save the hospital from bankruptcy and was one of the founders of Cochise College. If Dr. Spikes and the other founders would not have fought to have Cochise College here in Douglas, many people would not have had the opportunity to further their education. If he wouldn’t have helped to save the hospital, many lives may not have been saved. In conclusion, I would like to thank Dr. George Spikes for everything he did to help make the community of Douglas a better place to live and for inspiring me to help people too. I’m pretty sure he has inspired not just me but many people in Douglas. “Relay for Life” By: Patrick Hoyack Paul Huber Middle School Grade: 8 For sixteen years, people in Douglas have been trying to help get rid of cancer. The Relay for Life is a really good story about how people here have raised lots of money to help find a cure, and help people who have cancer. Douglas has the only 24-hour Relay in the whole state of Arizona. We raise more money than other towns our size. Cancer affects a lot of people. Many people in Douglas have had this disease or have family members who have had it. It is very sad and that is why so many people in Douglas join the Relay every year. Cancer is a part of our history, and so is the fight to end cancer. We care, we are giving, and we know how to fight for a good cause. This wonderful Douglas story inspires me. “The Gadsden Hotel” By: Jocelyn Hurtado Ray Borane Middle School Grade: 8 The Gadsden Hotel inspires me because of its history. The Gadsden Hotel is a historical icon; existing for 105 years. That is an amazing amount of time for a building to continue in operation. The life of the building is not the only reason for its inspiration. The many events that have taken place in the hotel add to the Gadsden’s historical value. In 1907 the Gadsden was built. It was named after the famous Gadsden Purchase. Unfortunately, the Gadsden burnt down, but was rebuilt in 1929. It reopened in the year 1988. At the point of its re-opening, paranormal activity began to take place at the hotel. Employees of the Gadsden started to experience strange things as well. The manager of the Gadsden saw a ghost in the hallway in February 1991. That was not the only time that Robin Brekhus, the manager of the Gadsden, saw this spirit. She also saw this spirit in the basement on her way to get some candles because of a power outage. Robin caught a figure that looked like a man that was dressed in fancy western clothing, but was headless. This is only one of many ghost encounters and paranormal activities at the infamous Gadsden Hotel. An electrician, who stayed in room 333, also experienced unexplainable occurrences. In the middle of the night the lights started flickering on and off. Then his golf equipment got thrown across his suite. The manager and electrician were not the only people who encountered this or any other spirit. The restaurant manager, the elevator operator, and even some guests have seen this spirit at the Hotel Gadsden. Ghost stories and historical significance surround the hotel and the community of Douglas. The curiosity draws the attention of hundreds from all parts of the world and ghost and book enthusiasts, alike, flock to the small border town of Douglas, Arizona, to experience the uniqueness of and spine-tingling sense of the old, haunted hotel. “A Douglas Story That Inspires Me” By: Laura Hurtado Douglas High School Grade: 12 Douglas, Arizona is a small border town with an approximate population of 18,000 people. It was founded in 1901 and later incorporated in 1905, in the County of Cochise. Even though there aren’t many historic landmarks in this small city, we could take a look at the Hotel Gadsden which has been there since 1907, Slaughter Ranch, and many other places located nearby such as the Leslie Canyon and the Chiricahua Mountains. Many people believe that living in small towns is boring because there isn’t as much movement as in big towns. However, I believe that Douglas is one of the best places you can live in! Douglas has been my hometown for many years and I’ve had so many wonderful memories and experiences here. I love how our community gets together in big events and how well we get along. The climate is perfect. I can’t think about another place that could possibly make me feel at home like Douglas, Arizona does! “A Douglas Story That Inspires Me” By: Orlando Collins Madrid Clawson Elementary School Grade: 4 In this paper I will be writing about Douglas. In Douglas there are a lot of good things happening that inspires me. First, the fire department got a new ladder truck. I think this is a good thing because the firemen work hard for us to fight fires and handle emergencies. Another good thing that inspires me from Douglas is the great schools that we have. I think my school is awesome because I learn every day something new. We have great teachers that inspire us to graduate, so that we can have a good job and better life. In conclusion, Douglas inspires me because it has a great community. We have great firemen and teachers that work hard for us. Someday I will like to be like them and help my community. “Make Way for Douglas” By: Mark Martinez Paul Huber Middle School – Selected as Honorable Mention Grade: 8 Douglas: our town, our community, our home. As a member of our community my entire life, these are the words that describe the spirit of our amazing town. It wasn’t always like this in the beginning. Luckily, a man had a different idea to change a small to our shining community today, James Douglas. James Douglas was an extraordinary businessman and mining pioneer. He retired as a surgeon and began a career in mining. He made an expedition to the Arizona Territory. He knew there was a lot of copper under the ground. He hired workers and years later the smelter was created. People started to move in and Douglas became a real town. I learned from him that I don’t have to go to Wall Street to be a businessman. I can be a successful businessman here in Douglas. “City Cleanup” By: Danny Morales III Paul Huber Middle School Grade: 8 A Douglas story that inspires me was when we had the city cleanup day. The community was asked to volunteer towards cleaning up the city of Douglas, which I took part of by cleaning the streets, alleys, and next to the local businesses or properties. It was very surprising to see a lot of trash around the city, because I thought before that day that Douglas was very well kept and was always very clean. Even though we had a lot of trash to pick up, there were many dedicated volunteers that spent their own Saturday trying to make Douglas a clean and better place for the whole community. It made me realize, while I was helping clean Douglas that we should try to get as much help as possible to help the city out as a family by working together. “A Douglas Story that Really Inspires Me” By: Michael Morales Clawson Elementary School Grade: 4 Ever since my dad was running for mayor of Douglas it really inspired me to get involved in my city. I started to wonder how it would be if I was mayor. It seems hard but I’m not sure, it does sound like a big responsibility. Plus it sounds like a big honor to mayor. When being mayor I can participate in all of the city events and help out with the things happening in the city. Like the city cleanup, the sports, and helping the people in the city. If I do become mayor someday, then it would mean a lot to me. Until then, I can still help out with the city events. “What Inspires Me Most About Douglas” By: Gissel Pedrego School: Unknown Grade: 6 What inspired me about Douglas is how it got its name. At first Douglas was found was in 1901 so Douglas is about 110 years old but the town had several years before that. One of the things that inspires me is the Gadsden Hotel. Many people say that Gadsden Hotel is haunted. Many years ago in World War 1, Pancho Villa was the most wanted men from most places. So in the world war when they killed Pancho Villa, Pancho Villa’s friends cut his head off because in back of Pancho Villa’s head he had a tattoo of a map that lead to Pancho Villa’s treasure that Pancho Villa’s friends always wanted. So Pancho Villa friends took the head and made a copy of the map. By that time the Gadsden was burned down by the World War 1 and Pancho Villa’s friends buried Pancho Villa and his head under the ashes of the burned Gadsden Hotel. So now Pancho Villa haunts the basement of the Gadsden Hotel. Some people say that it it’s Pancho Villa with a black suit and holding his head between his hands and his stomach. So know they rebuilt the Gadsden Hotel who knows if there’s more people haunting the Gadsden you never might know if you see it. You have to see it to believe it. So that’s what inspires me most about Douglas. “Kyla Stoggs” By: Marlene Peralta Ray Borane Middle School Grade: 6 I was asked to write an inspiring story, but had a hard time. First, I was interested in how are town started and read it started as a smelter town, which was named after the President of the Phelps Dodge Corporation, Dr. James Douglas. Yes as we all know Douglas is a very interesting town, but more interesting is the people who live here. So then I remembered of a story of a young girl who inspired me. Some people say us girls can’t be firefighters. But just a few weeks ago a girl proved that girls are strong and can be very good role models as she became a firefighter here in Douglas at only 22 years old. She is a person who can save lives and help Children like me to not give up in our dreams and to stay in school and do the best we can. I read she is the second girl here in Douglas to become a firefighter, but the first to be hired by the DFD that has been serving Douglas since 1902. She went to School at Tucson AZ where she also graduated. Then she went to join the Marine Corps for about four years. Her name is Kyla Stoggs. She is only 22 years old. She is a very inspiring person who someday I would like to meet. Hopefully when I grow up I can be as strong, helpful, and save lives like her and other girls who have proven that we all can be what we want to be with going to school and getting education just like my new role model Kyla Stoggs. So I’m pretty sure we all love hearing stories of our beautiful town but it’s more interesting to hear about the people who live and serve and of all the stories I’ve read this one’s the one that I love the most. This is the most inspiring story ever! “Inspiration” By: Rachel Robles Paul Huber Middle School Grade: 6 I got inspired last year around the ending of July and beginning of August for my brother Rene and I to start a toy drive for Tucson Medical Center. It all started due to my brother being in the hospital at TMC and stayed there for 8 days. Those days were pretty hard but they made his stay comfortable by putting a smile on his face. What my brother and I did to give back was to make a toy drive and raised $1000.00 by having a yard sale with help from the community. My family and I bought 126 toys to give to TMC. It made me feel really good, because I knew that we were going to put a smile on other kid’s faces, just how they did to my brother with “Christmas in July.” “A Douglas Story that Inspires Me…” By: Stephanie Robles Douglas High School Grade: 12 Douglas is a small town, yet quite known in Southeast Arizona. A few hours away from Tucson resides Douglas a quiet, serene, calm and safe border town. It is claimed to be one of the safest in Arizona. When people talk about Douglas, what do we hear them say? They say it is a nice, calm and safe town, what everyone seeks in a town. Either way, that’s how Douglas is. It has such a tranquil atmosphere you cannot find elsewhere. A small town filled with fun activities, festivals, and a great community. It’s something you cannot find in another border town. It’s unique in its own way. We are Douglas, home of the Bulldogs. We are fighters, who don’t give up no matter what. A town with a grand spirit. Douglas itself inspires me. It is filled with different stories from different people and different origins, but they are here in small little Douglas. We all think Douglas might be boring and small but it actually is fun. We have festivals that many enjoy to attend with their families. We have a wonderful County Fair with different games, activities and plenty of fun. Those festivals help everyone reunite and have fun, what most families want. A town filled with fun festivals is hard to miss, no matter what others may say about it. Not only it is Home of the Bulldogs, but a home for everyone. We are a strong community who cares about others, but most importantly for our children. For us our children are the most important to Douglas. They are our future. Our community is a strong one which makes Douglas such a great border town. With a great police force, medical care, and amazing educating schools offered for the community, it doesn’t really get any better than this. Douglas itself inspired me to write this for you. I know if I had written down a story, the story would be in grand books. There are many stories to be shared that may inspire from Douglas. Such a variety here it’s not as chaotic as big cities yet not as quiet as other small towns. Douglas is simply perfect. It is the sum of everything. Great history it sustains, a great community it has and most important are the people who make up this amazing town. “A Douglas Story That Inspires Me” By: Joanna Rocha Douglas High School Grade: 12 A border town like no other. Douglas is located in southeastern AZ, where people every day go through their routines. The people may be critical or not. They may be super nice or not. It all depends. But in general we can say one thing for sure; people here have spirit and enthusiasm. Whether it is a good or bad thing, there is that unity. Walking down Pan American, cars pass by, people are walking, I say hello to them as I pass by and they say hello back. One person though in particular caught my attention. She was an elderly lady that needed to rest for a while. I sat down next to her and offered her some water. She turned to me and said, “thank you.” What was a small talk felt like an eternity. “So what is it like here?” she asked “Well…beautiful AZ, lots of history, and relaxation,” I replied. I continued, “even though there is trouble once in the while with people, not many accidents happen, which is good. And everywhere you go, you will see that the parents in the community look for ways of improving. It’s those things that many of them agree on despite whether or not their children want to but in the long run it’s worth it.” It was right then and there that I realized that indeed there is much to Douglas and the community. People go to the games to cheer, family and friends support each other in whatever happens. Life and death happens. Though that happens everywhere, at least we live our lives in hope of not giving up and helping each other out. There is no guarantee that we will make it, but we got to give it a try at least. That is the spirit of Douglas: the people, the supporting parents, those teenagers that believe, and the ones who hold its history, because without them, there would be no Douglas. After she got up and continued her walk, that day I recall taking a longer look at Douglas from my view. The mountains to the side, D-Hill (you can’t miss that), downtown, and those people who waved back hello with smiles on their faces. That is the Douglas that inspires me. “City of Douglas” By: Ruby Sandoval Clawson Elementary School – Nominated for finalist by Principal Mary Good Grade: 4 Would you like to know what inspires me about Douglas? It could be many things like the flowers the great weather or the great people that live here in Douglas. In the end, I came to the conclusion that the city of Douglas is my biggest inspiration. Douglas has amazing mountain scenery and beautiful sunsets that I enjoy with my family. Douglas inspires me to be active and playful. I love going hiking with my family, here at Douglas. I get to see the amazing animals of the desert. Douglas also inspires me draw and write about the beautiful things I see. It never gets old to discover the wonders of Douglas. In conclusion, Douglas inspires me to be a better person, and appreciate the outdoors. I hope this inspires you to go outside and enjoy life in Douglas. “Douglas Inspiration” By: Savannah Saucedo Paul Huber Middle School Grade: 8 Douglas, Arizona is a very important place. It may be such a small place, but it has many ways of singling its own tourist attractions. The Gadsden Hotel, as well as Church Square is a few of many. Many people may not know a lot about the small tourist attractions here, but here are some facts. The Gadsden Hotel has actually been burnt down twice. Many famous people have stayed including almost every Arizona state governor in the Governor’s Suite and also First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Church Square is the only place in the world with a church at each corner of the block. The churches were built between the years 1902 and 1907, between 10th and 11th Streets and Avenues D and E. These are only a couple of tourist attractions. Many people may not know about them. But see our importance in the State of Arizona? “What Really Inspired Me of Douglas” By: Manuel Soto Paul Huber Middle School Grade: 8 What really inspired me about Douglas are the people. The way that they treat you so nicely. If something is wrong with your health, like if some how you appear to have diabetes. They will quickly take you to the nearest and safe hospital, and you will automatically receive attention and great treatment. Here in Douglas, it may look like everyone is disagreeing or just not getting along. Those people who don’t know Douglas very much will tell you it’s a bad place. People say “oh let’s go to Tucson, or Phoenix is better.” For me, Douglas is like heaven. Here the people help you no matter what happens to you. They help you from the heart. If something bad happens to you and you think it’s going to destroy you from your heart. Everyone will try to help whenever they could. If they had the chance they will properly take care of you. Every single person here in Douglas, Arizona, is a wonderful soul and they’re really appreciative. The people that most help here in Douglas AZ are teachers, physiologists, and the people that look after you and your feelings. It’s almost like a grateful gift to have the people in Douglas around me. Everywhere you go in the town of Douglas, people are gentle and kind. In this peculiar little town the jobs are overcoming to you. There are so many positions available for everyone. In this little town of Douglas AZ you will find yourself in a very comfortable place in which you will be surprised in and at. “Who cares if California, Phoenix, Tucson, or Nevada are popular and great where you spent $2,000 in a hotel.” Here in Douglas we have restaurants, 2 hotels, and a lot more to share with everyone. We have a good friendship with our neighbor Mexico. Therefore this is what inspired me to write this wonderful essay of Douglas AZ. I hope this essay went really into your heart. “The Old Douglas Train Station” By: Julian Toscano Sarah Marley Elementary School Grade: 3 The Douglas Police Department now has remained the same as it did when it was the old train station. It has a glass window for a roof. It has the original look it did back then. There used to be an old ticket booth where passengers would buy their train tickets. They transported dead bodies in crates. The glass window was once broken but they tried to repair it. Unfortunately, they couldn’t match the exact glass, so one piece is lighter than the others. Now with the rain it has recently been chipped. But don’t worry, they’ll repair it! Inside the train station, there used to be a ticket booth where people had to pay for their passage. People would also leave or pickup their luggage from there. The ticket booth is now a place where files are kept. It’s funny how it doesn’t look like a ticket booth. Sometimes passengers had to ride with special passengers. They were dead people. They were dead soldiers from war. It must have been scary to ride with dead bodies! It must have been sad to see all the bodies in crates. The old train station inspires me to want to learn more about the history of Douglas. I would like to visit the station more often. When I grow up, I would like to work there. When I have children, I want to talk to them about the train station and its history. This is how the old train station inspires me.
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