Naturalization ceremony welcomes 55 new citizens

EAGLE RIVER — According to their website, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service annually welcomes approximately 680,000 citizens during naturalization ceremonies across the United States and around the world. On Sept. 22, at Eagle River High School, 55 persons from 23 different countries were naturalized, becoming citizens of the United States.

“They try to host at least one naturalization ceremony at a school every year,” Eagle River High School Principal Marty Lang said. “We volunteered this year, and the whole ceremony took about four weeks of planning.”

Robert Warren, a social studies teacher at ERHS was responsible for a majority of the planning for this event. “We wanted to have the naturalization ceremony here to bring the impact of citizenship to the student body, especially because the ceremony involves engaging in civil participation.”

In the ERHS family and friends were In attendance to support their loved ones as they became new citizens. In the stands, ERHS students cheered on each of the new citizens as they stated their names and countries of origin. Students from government, economy, ROTC, and foreign language classes watched the ceremony.

“It was really cool to be able to see this, I didn’t know there would be so many people from so many different countries,” senior Emily Workman said.

Nominated by President George W. Bush in 2001, Superior Court Judge Ralph R. Beistline shared his perspective during the ceremony. “It is up to each of us to define our own characters,” he said to the new citizens and high school students.

Becoming a U.S. citizen requires candidates to meet specific requirements including: having resided in the United States as a lawful permanent resident for at least five years, having been physically present in the United States for at least 30 months, being able to speak, read, write and understand the English language, and having knowledge of U.S. government and history. The people naturalized on Sept. 22 all met these requirements, as well as took an Oath of Allegiance.

“I am glad to be American,” said Edward Hernandez while the ERHS students in the stands cheered for him and he shook hands with Judge Beistline.

Judge Sen K. Tan, also present at the ceremony, spoke after Lang’s introduction.

“It is of each of us as citizens to make sure we build and maintain the best values of this country,” Tan said. In his speech he also talked about rule of law, the importance of jury duty, and voting.

Expressions of overwhelming joy arose as Judge Beistline said the words “court adjourned.”

Alina Cook writes for the staff the Eagle River High School Howl and is a regular contributor to Alaska Family Fun.