GRAVETTE — Arkansas Congressman Steve Womack challenged history class students at Gravette High School on Nov. 6 with a five-point plan to achieve not only success but also satisfaction in their lives, now and in the future.

The Congressman, who represents the Third Congressional District of Arkansas, which includes Benton County, shed hissuit coat, stood on the fl oor at audience level and spoke without a microphone for almost 45 minutes. He used no notes in his off-the-cuff talk which, at the start, he termed as a “no holds barred.”

The students from several classes crowded to the front sections in the Performing Arts Center and listened with almost spellbound attentiveness as Womack interspersed his talk with personal experiences and understandable examples as he outlined the five points of his presentation: Education, Decisions, Health, Charity and Selfdiscipline.

During the first 10 minutes he concentrated on “education” and its importance in everyone’s life. He challenged the students to “seek more” in their various classes. He even suggested they “challenge your teachers for more.” Decision Making

In addressing the second point, “decisions,” Womack outlined, with examples, the impor-tance of recognizing the decisions each individual makes will be a mark on his/her future. “Your decisions will either help to achieve or, if wrong, the results will stay with you the rest of your lives. You are a product of your decisions,” he declared. As an example, Womack noted ill-advised items placed on Facebook can have lifelong consequences.

For students to take care of their “health” was a critical challenge the congressman issued. He noted that participation in athletics and such activities and taking personal responsibility to maintain good health are important. Womack used himself as an example of one who, a few years ago, slacked off until he realized he needed to change his regimen. “Now I’m the same weight I was in college and I feel great.”

Womack spoke several minutes about the fourth word, “charity,” coupling it with “volunteerism.” He challenged his young listeners to help others. Just doing a good deed for an elderly neighbor or an act of kindness for a friend is an example of charity. He pointed out that becoming involved in the community, church or organizations is volunteerism. He also noted that later in life seeking a public offi ce, such as city council, is a way ofvolunteering your service to helping others.

Self-Discipline

Finally he summed up his presentation with the word “discipline,” which he characterized as “having a commitment to yourself” by having self-discipline to follow the other four word examples. He particularly advised his listeners, when they reach an age to be employed, that they develop a discipline to save a portion of each paycheck for the future. He noted social programs as we know them today, such as Social Security, may be different and that saving for the future is very important.

Womack also alluded to the importance of integrity, standing up for your beliefs. He recalled an incident that happened in Gravette several years ago when a Missouri man, Wayne Crytes, stood up for his beliefs after authorities had confi scated his crop of soybeans.

Crytes, whose soybean crop was in storage near his home in southeastern Missouri, was grand marshalof the Gravette Day parade in 1982. He was arrested by federal marshals and taken to jail for recovering his beans from the storage facility. Several weeks later he returned to Gravette and spoke to a large crowd concerning his action to get his crop returned.

The congressman quoted a maxim he learned from his father, “One man with conviction constitutes a majority.”

He also characterized Americans thusly: “We are tops! We are bred (as a people) to be creative,” he declared, as he challenged the students to “take control of your lives … sometimes we fail, but the real failure is when we fail to try again.”

The only time Womackreferenced politics was when he answered a student’s question about the value of taking classes on debating. “Debating is becoming a lost art,” the Congressman said. He related that debating skills he learned in college prepared him for speeches he sometimes gives “from the well” in the House chamber. It is there representatives speak about items under discussion which concern citizens they represent.

Prior to his meeting with students, Womack toured the high school with Superintendent Richard Page, Principal Jay Chalk and others. He had praise for the facility and for the reputation and attentiveness of the students.

News, Pages 1 on 11/13/2013