Naturalization Ceremony at Rice Memorial High School
SOUTH BURLINGTON—Forty-one U.S. residents became naturalized U.S. citizens at a ceremony hosted by Rice Memorial High School in November.
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U.S. Magistrate Judge John Conroy presided over the proceedings.
The new citizens represented countries throughout the world including Australia, England, Canada and South Korea.
Naturalization ceremonies occur once every month in the U.S. District Court and in federal courts throughout the United States. This event, in the Rice Memorial High School gym, was attended by the school’s student body, faculty and staff as well as then-Vermont Gov. James Douglas who said the new Americans’ choice to become citizens ‘‘will not only lead to a better life for you and your family but will strengthen our country.’’
 Rice Memorial High School teacher Sarah Conroy, who helped organize the event, looks on as new citizens are sworn in. Photo courtesy of Annalisa Parent www.parentstudios.com |
The event was largely organized by Rice High School History Department Chair Sarah Smith Conroy who was interested in hosting a ceremony that she said ‘‘provides an amazing opportunity for our student body to witness such a significant event in the lives of the newly naturalized citizens.’’
‘‘In witnessing the Oath of Citizenship, our students have the opportunity to define for themselves exactly why being an American citizen is so significant,’’ Smith Conroy said. ‘‘This ceremony focuses on the journeys that some have had to take to find a safe new home, another reality that many of us take for granted.’’
The new citizens took the oath after the opening of the court which included the escort of the color bearers by U.S. Marshall David E. Demag and members of the Color Guard from Camp Johnson in Colchester. New residents were also greeted by a musical selection from the Rice Memorial High School Choir and Strings Ensemble that included The Star Spangled Banner and America the Beautiful.
The oath of citizenship is the sixth and final step for citizenship applicants. Other steps include living in the United States lawfully for five years, submitting a citizenship application, passing a background check and a test of English proficiency and U.S. History and Government.
‘‘The oath of citizenship ceremony is very much a celebration. I have seen applicants accept their Certificate of Citizenship with tears of utter joy streaming down their cheeks. Those occasions are powerful reminders of how fortunate we natural born citizens are to be citizens of this great nation,’’ Conroy said.
Among rights new citizens acquire after naturalization are the rights to vote and to hold public office.
The Vermont League of Women Voters was available after the ceremony to register new voters. Many of the new citizens took advantage of this opportunity which Douglas described in his opening remarks as part of the ‘‘responsibility as new citizens for passing on blessings to the next generation as well as the rights and responsibilities.’’
Douglas, who averages attendance at two such ceremonies per year, said that the best part of the day for him was ‘‘meeting 41 new American citizens and welcoming them into their new status as American citizens. Vermont is not a traditionally diverse state, though it’s becoming more so. It is ceremonies like this that enhance its diversity and the richness of its culture.’’
‘‘The United States is a living, breathing experiment in human relations,’’ Conroy told the new citizens. ‘‘We are made up of many different cultures, races and religions from all over the world. As has been true for over 200 years, we are constantly in search of ways in which to protect and preserve that cultural diversity while living in harmony and peace with one another.’’
All of the applicants are Vermont citizens. The best part, according to new citizen and University of Vermont student Ellissa Lee, was ‘‘to meet Gov. Douglas and to get a certificate of U.S. citizenship.’’
Annalisa Parent