Articles

U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Rogers, told Cedarville High and Middle School students Friday that he visits schools all across the 3rd District, but he’d never had as nice a reception as he received at the Cedarville schools.

The remark drew student and teacher applause and smiles. Womack first visited with Cedarville Elementary students who introduced him to the Student Council and then to the highest achieving students district-wide in math.

When Womack went to the high school to visit with older students, he was met by, escorted in and then flanked by a fully uniformed honor guard of Future Farmers of America club members.

The students at both gatherings were quiet and attentive, and Womack said it was his great privilege to meet them as they are the next great generation to lead a great country.

He shared his four secrets for success with the elementary students after telling them, “Shhhh. Don’t tell anyone.”

Those secrets are:

No. 1, education. “It’s not supposed to be easy,” he told the crowd, which had responded with a group, “awwwww.”

Womack said each student is good in some subjects and not so good in others. The secret, he said, is to work a little more on the areas where one isn’t as good.

No. 2, behavior. They’ll find themselves tempted over time to do stupid stuff, risky behavior, Womack told the children. But America is a great nation because it is a rules-oriented society, and the rules are there for a reason, usually safety, he told them.

No. 3, your health. Womack urged the children to eat properly and to have healthy exercise so when they’re older, they won’t have to take medications to correct the mistakes they made when they were younger.

“If something happened to this pretty girl right here. What’s your name?” he asked.

“Emily,” she responded.

“If something happened to Emily, could I go to Walmart and buy a new Emily?” Womack asked.

“No!” the students said in group response.

No. 4, volunteerism. Womack told them because they live in a great country they are able to pursue great dreams. He asked them to repay all the people and organizations who helped them by helping others when they can.

At the high school, Cedarville Superintendent Dan Foreman told students the congressman has been in office since 2010.

Womack told the students his favorite person is Winston Churchill.

“He said a long time ago that each single one of us is going to be tapped on the shoulder to do something profound and suited to his talent,” Womack said.

The tap will be figurative rather than literal. The challenge will be big, and you will be able to do it, but how tragic will it be if you are unprepared when that happens? Womack asked.

Womack told the students no individual is insignificant; they are up to the task. It is their job to ensure they are prepared and qualified, he said.

“You might ask, ‘How does he know?’ I know because I’m an American, and I know because you’re an American, and it happens every day to the most unlikeliest people,” Womack assured the students.

The students are each the product of their decisions, and the decisions they make now will have a lifelong impact, the congressman told them.