Golden Lives Collection


Arizona Golden Lives 

Arizona Golden Lives is a collection of essays, written by High School Students, about Arizonans who have lived the Golden Rule and their impact. Jr. High and High School Teachers can utilize essays from this collection as reading assignments. Essays are in MLA format, aligned with AZ Standard 6-12.RI.10, and complete with comprehension questions.

P.O. 6-12.RI.10: By the end of the year, proficiently and independently read and comprehend informational texts and nonfiction in a text complexity range determined by qualitative and quantitative measures appropriate to grade.

  • Orville’s Golden Rule Experience 

    Orville was traveling to Thatcher from Globe, sweat beaded on his brow and sun beating down overhead. The horses were doing the hardest of the work for him, pulling the wagon and kicking up dust, but the dry heat still made the skin on his face redden. He was passing over Goodsen Wash, a couple…

  • The O’Connor Golden Rule: Fighting for Justice  

    “Society as a whole benefits immeasurably from a climate in which all persons, regardless of race or gender, may have the opportunity to earn respect, responsibility, advancement, and remuneration based on ability.” – Sandra Day O’Connor  Hundreds of patient spectators sat tightly in the White House East Room as President Barack Obama placed the Presidential Medal…

  • An Anonymous Stranger Gives A Helping Hand

    Have you ever interrupted your plans and stopped to help a stranger you might never see again? Have you chosen to be inconvenienced to help with something that might not even affect you? In an election year, late winter and early spring bring the appearance of campaign signs along roadsides the way sporting events bring…

  • Egg Money

    Businesses must be profitable to survive. What effect does following the Golden Rule have on their workers, the environment and their community?During the last years of the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth, many women kept small flocks of chickens for more than their food value. During good times, “egg money”, made…

  • No Matter What Challenges You Face

    No Matter What Challenges You Face: A Remarkable Friendship What traits do you look for in a friend? What activities do you enjoy most with your friends? How would you communicate your feelings if you lost the ability to speak? Two-year olds and adolescents both love the feeling of independence. For the two-year olds, the…

  • Cost of Setting an Example

    What is the Cost of Setting an Example? Think of a time you have given up something you really wanted. What would you have done if you had the choice? How can a personal sacrifice be turned into an example of leadership for others? Not much seems more important in high school than fitting in,…

  • What is Winning?

    Wafa Shahid, Arizona State University Journalism Student Every week, millions of people watch high school sports, college sports, and professional sports. We watch amazing contests! We watch players who have spent countless hours in training stretch their skills to the limits. It is a thrill, but notice the word ‘Watch.’ Most of us have been…

  • A Fair World

    A Fair Word: and a Fair Fight“Governments don’t live together. People live together. Governments don’t always give you a fair word or a fair fight.” This is a movie quote from The Outlaw Josie Wales. Is it an accurate statement of how governments and individuals interact with each other? Can you imagine yourself having a…

  • Four Remarkable Leaders

    Four Remarkable Leaders: Leave a Legacy of ServiceArizona has a long history of relying on women leaders. What sacrifices accompany accepting a position of leadership?Would it be easier or more difficult to be part of a family tradition of leadership? Stroll through the beautiful community of Prescott and it is easy to find evidence of…

  • But Why the Hungry?

    “But Why the Hungry?”: One Man’s Dream Spreads From Phoenix Around the World Is it really possible for one person to take on a huge problem and make a difference in finding a solution? What type of person does it take to make a significant impact? Hungry? We’ve all had the “I need a snack”…