Essay Contest Winners – The Rotary Club of Mechanicsburg North

The Rotary Club of Mechanicsburg North\District 7390

The Rotary Club of Mechanicsburg North has announced the winner of their Essay Contest, Juliet Pawelski, who was a ninth grader at Cumberland Valley High School.  Her teacher was Mr. Brian Martin.  Mr. Martin is now retired.  The head of the English Department is Dr. Fran Carothers.  Dr. Carothers was instrumental in getting the essay contest up and running at the high school.  We are going into our third year of having a contest.  We have lobbied heavily that our District establish a district wide contest.  We were told this past week that are going to do this next year.

Juliet Pawelski, Grade 9, Cumberland Valley High School – 1st Place
John F. M. Kocsis, Grade 9, Cumberland Valley High School – 2nd Place

Essay Contest Winners – South Hill Rotary Club

South Hill Rotary Club

We ran the essay contest as a pilot for the seventh grade only at Park View Middle School (PVMS) in South Hill, VA. It was a club initiative based upon some research that we did through the RI website. The RI website lead us to your website and the experience of others with this type of contest. We were very pleased with the results and the support that we received from the Faculty and Administration at PVMS. The contest integrated well with their middle school curriculum.

Middle School (Grades 7-8 )

Alyx Powers, Grade 7, Park View Middle School – 1st Place
Jackie Johnson, Grade 7, Park View Middle School – 2nd Place
Steven Swank, Grade 7, Park View Middle School – 3rd Place

4 Way Test

South Hill Rotary Club/District 7600
Alyx Powers, First Place
Grade 7, Park View Middle School
Teacher:  Mr. Winter

Four things in life that make you a better person are: telling the truth, fairness, goodwill, and friendship. When you do these things, you feel like a hero.

Telling the truth lets people know that they can trust you. When you are honest, people can tell that you are a good friend. I think that when a person is able to talk to me and know that I will tell them the truth, they feel good. If I have someone that can tell me the truth, it makes me very happy. People that don’t tell the truth usually don’t have as many friends. If one of your friends asks you a question or for your opinion and you lie, you might lose them as a friend. Just remember, nobody likes a person that lies to them.

To me, fairness is to treat everyone equally. Being fair lets people know that you are a good person. Also, you can make a lot of friends by being fair. People that aren’t fair and treat people badly usually don’t have as many people to support them. When I was little, my two older brothers never treated me fairly. They figured since I was younger they could treat me however they wanted. But, when my two cousins that were older than them started visiting us more, they understood what it was like to be younger. They realized that being treated unfairly wasn’t fun. So, they apologized and treated me differently. Ever since, we have been best friends and have gotten along very well.

Goodwill is willing to do something nice for someone or something. My church does a program called “Stop Hunger Now!” Once a month, a few people gather and package meals for the hungry. Then we send them to other countries. After doing this program, I feel like I am saving someone’s life and that I am really making a difference. I think everyone should show goodwill. Even though sometimes helping out may not be very much fun, you are still helping a person and making them happy.

Friendship is being someone’s friend or maybe even being a good friend. Friendship can help a person a lot. They can come to you for advice. It is hard to find a friend that I can count on no matter what. I have one friend like that: Kayla. She is always here for me and I can trust her with anything. In order to be someone’s friend, you have to be kind. When you aren’t a good friend to someone or mean to them, it might come back to you and you will see how upset a person can get by not being their friend.
In conclusion, truthfulness, fairness, goodwill, and friendship are all great ways to show that you can be a great person. People will be able to tell that you are kind and that they probably want a friend like you.

The 4-way Test

South Hill Rotary Club/District 7600
Jackie Johnson, Second Place
Grade 7, Park View Middle School
Teacher:  Mr. Winter

Today, I will be writing the 4-way test. This test is about truth, fairness, goodwill, and friendship. These words mean many things to me. Be it a bad situation, or a good situation, I feel that all these qualities should be shown. Without these qualities, the world would be a bad place.

Quality number one is truth. Everyone should tell the truth, because honesty is important in order to earn trust. Honesty should be possessed everywhere at every time. One of my favorite stories, “the boy that cried wolf,” greatly relays this quality. Had the boy taken his work seriously and not lied, then the villagers would have believed him. Then he would not have lost his sheep. To me this story excellently shows how important honesty really is. If you can’t be honest, then you have to be willing to accept the consequences. To me, honesty is forming a bond of trust with someone, and proving to them that you can be dependable.

The second quality I’m writing about is fairness. This quality should again be shown everywhere at all times. Fairness includes honesty, respect, and sharing. Fairness is important because karma affects the world. If you treat someone fairly, then one day, when you need help, they might be there. Like one time, my neighbor had surgery, and one day while she was recovering, her husband had obligations somewhere, so I stayed with her. Since then whenever I need something, she is there. And for that I am very grateful. The main thing about fairness is treating someone the way you want to be treated.

The next quality I’m writing about is goodwill. Many people everywhere have goodwill, but at the same time, there’s still many that don’t. One of the ladies that used to go to my church is now in the nursing home, and every holiday, I send her a card. The person that takes her the card always says how happy she is that someone remembers her. This is just one example of the many things that people do for goodwill. I think all people should have goodwill because helping people in the world helps the world. This means that by helping someone, you’re showing them to help others. Goodwill is doing good things for others.
The last and best quality is friendship. All people everywhere have friends. Friendship can mean many things. It could be talking to someone that looks lonely, or many hours having exciting adventures and gossip together. Friendship is important because it gives people happiness and support. Whether you need a shoulder to cry on or a person to laugh with, your friend is always there for you. Some friends only last through school, but true friends last forever. Friendship is important because it gives you a bond of trust, honesty, and many days of laughs together.

These four qualities greatly enrich the world. From this test I have, it is important to show these wonderful qualities in life.

The 4-Way Test and You

South Hill Rotary Club/District 7600
Steven Swank, Third Place
Grade 7, Park View Middle School
Teacher:  Ms. Van Dyke

So have you ever heard the quote,” Actions speak louder than words?” What does it mean to you? First is truth. It is also known as being truthful. It means to tell the truth under any condition. It means to be honest to one another. Showing that you are responsible and can be trusted. You can show honesty by telling people the absolute truth. If you broke something, be honest and tell the person; that goes for if something happened at school, home, or anywhere else. You may get into trouble, but it won’t be as bad if you told them a lie. If you tell a lie, it will most likely make you or them mad. One time I lied to my mom about lighting then dropping a candle onto the floor and it burning the carpet. I didn’t want to tell my mom about it because I thought she may be furious about it because the carpet was almost new. But she found out and I now know that telling the truth is better than lying.
Second is friendship. Friendship means to be a good friend. Friendships’ being is being kind to others and respecting their privacy. It means to treat a friend or family member with the kind of respect you would want to be treated with. Friendship can also mean showing sportsmanship when playing a sport. Under the condition while playing, if someone is hurt, you should help them. If you are winning or losing, don’t get mad; keep trying your hardest. If you are sad, feeling down, or depressed, a good friend would help you get back on your feet. If your friend is sad, emotional, or whatever the cause may be you should help them. It doesn’t matter who is depressed, you should try your best to help anyone to feel better. A good sign of friendship would be my mom. She always puts my sister and me first. She does that because she loves us and likes to see us happy.
Third, I would like to tell you about goodwill. You may be thinking about the goodwill store where you donate things and get tax refunds. Goodwill deals with generosity. It means to be kind and nice to people. You could donate things for good causes. You could donate things around the world, or just in your local area. You could donate to charities all around the world. You can share offerings when you go to church,
help families that are homeless or live in bad conditions, or even children whom live in orphanages.
Fourth and last, I would like to tell you about fairness. Fairness can have many different definitions or meanings. One can play fairly with others. And share things such as toys or food. This is what the 4-way test means to me.

Essay Contest Winners – Rotary Club of Pismo Beach

Primary (Grades 1-3)

Tavis Cote, Grade 3 Branch – 1st Place
Toby Jones, Grade 3 Harloe – 2nd Place
Brandon Poorman, Grade 3 Harloe – 3rd Place

Intermediate (Grades 4-6)

Savana Welch, Grade 6 Grover Heights – 1st Place
McKenna Arnold, Grade 6 Ocean View – 2nd Place
Ben Zwarg, Grade 6 Ocean View – 3rd Place

Middle School (Grades 7-8 )

Akash Salam, Grade 7 Paulding – 1st Place
Makulumy Alexander-Hills, Grade 8 Judkins – 2nd Place
Anna Miller, Grade 8 Judkins – 3rd Place

High School

Tori Miles, Grade 9 AGHS – 1st Place
Sean Pringle, Grade 10 AGHS – 2nd Place
Cheyenne Bartlett, Grade 9 Coastal Christian – 3rd Place
Kara Scott, Grande 11 AGHS – 3rd Place

The 4-Way Test, George Washington, and Me

Rotary Club of Pismo Beach / Five Cities
Tavis Cote, First Place
Grade 3, Primary Division
Mrs. Johnson/Mrs. Manchester, Branch School

In considering topics that inspire me to live the 4-Way Test and to
be fair, I thought of George Washington.  He seemed to live his life
according to the principles in the 4-Way Test.  Even during a difficult
time as the Revolutionary War, George Washington was fair to the
troops he commanded, considered the impact on all the people living
in the colonies when he made his decisions, and was truthful in his
treaty negotiations with his enemies.
The people living at that time looked up to George Washington be-
cause of his stance against Great Britain and the unfair taxation on
the colonies.  They also respected him for his reputation of fairness
and honesty.  These same characteristics are the ones that I admire
about George Washington today.  He may not have known about the
4-Way Test, but he was indeed a great example of it.
I hope that in my daily life I may be able to live up to the same quali-
ties that made people respect George Washington.  The 4-Way Test
helps provide me the questions to ask myself when I am uncertain of
the correct action to take.  When I interact with my friends, I need to
ask myself, “Is it the truth?  Is it fair to all concerned?  Will it build
good will and better friendships?  Will it be beneficial to all con-
cerned?“   I use kind words and speak the encouraging truth to my
friends.  When I do that I find that the effect on those around me is
positive.  When I forget to ask myself these types of questions or
when I see others not thinking before they act, I notice that people get
into arguments or get their feelings hurt.
I hope that by living my life according to the principles laid out in the
4-Way test, my friends and family will come to respect me much as
the people respected George Washington.  Who knows, someday
maybe I could be the President of the United States as well.  Remem-
bering the 4-Way Test could help me get there.

The Four Way Test

Rotary Club of Pismo Beach / Five Cities
Toby Jones, Second Place
Grade 3, Primary Division
Mrs. Darway, Harloe School

It is important to make the World a better place by being the best
person that you can be.  Everyone can do this if they follow the Four
Way Test to be sure they are making good decisions.
First, people should always be truthful.  If you aren’t truthful some-
times, people won’t even believe you when you do finally tell the truth.
Being truthful is a very big deal.
Second, being fair to others is important.  Being fair and caring
about others is what makes you a good person.  When you are fair to
others, then they are fair to you and the fairness spreads to other
people.  It goes together with the third idea of bringing good will to
others.  Being fair shows that you care about others and caring about
others makes them feel good and brings out good will.  Good will gets
rid of bullies because when bullies let out their feelings and feel good
will, they won’t be bullies anymore.  I like being fair to others and I
have fun doing it.  I like the feeling it brings to my heart.
We also need to be sure that the things that we do are beneficial to
others.  That means it will help others and then it will also help me.  I
like helping others with school work, homework, and at home.  Help-
ing others is my favorite thing to do next to playing with my friends
and my dad.  Helping others makes everyone feel good.
If everyone would think about the Four-Way Test when they make
decisions, the World would be so much better and everyone would
feel good.

The Four Way Test and Me

Rotary Club of Pismo Beach / Five Cities
Brandon Poorman, Third Place
Grade 3, Primary Division
Mrs. Darway, Harloe School

If everyone in the world were truthful, fair, shared good will, and did
what was beneficial to others, I think this world would be perfect. If
each person in the world could follow at least two of these ideas it
would be a thousand times better. We should all remind each other to
follow the Four Way Test to make our world a better place.
It is always good to tell the truth. If you don’t, not only will you get in
more trouble than you would have, but the next time no one will believe
you. We should always be fair because if people feel like things are
fair, they will feel that they are getting what they want and everyone will
have fun. If people feel that nothing is fair and they don’t have a
chance, they won’t try to be better or be good to others. You should
also have good will toward other people and treat them kindly. If you
aren’t kind in the way you treat people, you won’t have any friends.
Friends are important to have fun in our life, so it is important to have
good will toward others so they will have good will toward you. When
we make decisions about what we are going to do, we need to be sure
that it is beneficial to others. If we do, other people will feel good and
they will do good things back.
So please, follow the four way test when you make decisions every-
day. If you do, you will be one happy and special person and the world
around you will be a better place.

4-Way Explosion

Rotary Club of Pismo Beach / Five Cities
Savana Welch, First Place
Grade 6, Intermediate Division
Mrs. VanArtsdalen, Grover Heights School

“It was the wrong decision and I think that anybody who knows any-
thing about the game knows that.  Umm….there’s no doubt in my
mind I would have made those saves and the fact of the matter is it’s
not 2004 anymore.  It’s not 2004 and it’s 2007 and I think you have to
live in the present and you can’t live by big names.  You can’t live in
the past.  It doesn’t matter what somebody did in an Olympic gold
medal game in the Olympics 3 years ago.  Now is what matters and
that’s what I think.”  These were U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo’s words
of anger after being benched in the 2007 Women’s World Cup semi-
final soccer game against Brazil.   The U.S. lost this semi-final game
4-0 and Hope was angry.  Benching Hope was a controversial move
by the coach as she had been the starting goalkeeper for the last few
years and had been playing great in the World Cup.  I sat watching at
home confused about how somebody could say something like that
about her teammate and coach.  I know this was bad news for Hope
and her teammates.
When I was told about the 4-Way Test, I kept thinking about this
incident.  Then I realized it was a total 4-way explosion!  I say this
because it was not the truth (well maybe part of it was), it would defi-
nitely not build better friendship and good will, it was not fair, and it
was not beneficial to all concerned.
Hope Solo’s comments about her teammate, Briana Scurry, and
coach were probably not true as how can she be sure she would
have stopped the goals.  But even if her statement were true and she
would have done better than her teammate, it was the wrong thing to
say at the wrong time.  It was a huge putdown and very unprofes-
sional for an athlete in her important position to say.  Being truthful is
very important because if you don’t tell the truth, it will come back to
hurt you in some way.  One way Hope could have handled the situa-
tion better would have been to tell her coach her feelings privately
rather than announce them to the media.  Her coach probably would
have understood her feelings and her teammate, Briana, and the rest
of the team would not have been hurt.
It is very important to know how to build good will and friendships.
These are extremely important skills as well for members of a team.
When team members are good friends and they care  for each other,
the team is stronger.  The Women’s National Team was strong in this
way until Hope spoke out in public.  She broke an  unwritten code that
you don’t do this to your teammates and coach.  Her comments hurt
the other goalkeeper, her teammates, the coach, the fans and even
Hope in the end.
Hope Solo’s public comments were definitely unfair to her whole
team.  It would take some serious healing to get through that and it
would be difficult for the team to play their best the next day.  Her
words brought the whole team down and caused divisions among her
teammates and coaches.  It was also unfair to her team, as they
could not focus on soccer because they were distracted by the con-
troversy.  Fairness is very valuable and Hope learned that lesson the
hard way.
Talking negatively like Hope did about people is definitely not bene-
ficial to everybody concerned.  It makes people feel bad and stirs up
all sorts of trouble.  Hope was only thinking about herself and her own
feelings so she was unable to see how she was hurting and not bene-
fiting others.
In the end Hope Solo publicly and privately apologized to Briana
Scurry, her teammates, coach and the public for her poor behavior.
She also received some punishments from her coach.  From her be-
havior since the incident, it seems she learned it is better to be truth-
ful with kindness, to cherish and protect friendships, to be careful
about speaking unfair comments, and to think more about benefiting
others and less about herself.  If Hope had applied the 4-way test to
her thoughts before she spoke out angrily, she would have saved her-
self and others a lot of problems and heart ache.