The Four-Way Test

The Rotary Club of Mechanicsburg North\District 7390
Juliet Pawelski, First Place
Grade 9, Cumberland Valley High School
Teacher:  Brian Martin

I must make moral decisions every day, whether as a student of Cumberland Valley High School or in relation to my family and friends in general. All of these decisions, as small as some are, can affect my life in many kinds of ways.  I must answer questions daily for others and especially for myself. Even the little choices about what I eat for breakfast this morning or if I start to do my homework at four or five o’clock tonight may affect my life in the future. In addition to using the Rotary’s Four Was test in my daily life, I can specifically use it in my job on the high school newspaper.

As a staff writer, I include the Rotary Four Way test when writing my articles, sometimes without even thinking. The first question is always a part of my writing and editing: Is it the truth? Since I am reporting and not narrating, the truth is of such extreme importance that I cannot stress it enough. I must ask myself if I write the complete truth or if I leave out any part of the story. While I write a news story, I ask myself more questions than who, what, when, where, why, and how. I have to think about the audience and the topic, and whether I am telling the whole story or not. The facts are what literally write the story in news writing. Vague, incorrect sentences and a few useless paragraphs do not equal a good article or an article at all. I do not write the news for fun. As part of the paper, I want people to know what is going on around them and, if the paragraphs are full of false information or no real facts, then I am not getting the real knowledge out to the readers. I am just giving them another three or four minutes of worthless reading material.

When I am presenting one of those debatable articles that can raise controversy if not written carefully, another of the Rotary Four Way test questions pops into my head: Is it fair to all concerned? I must present both sides of the story equally in my writing or the party not represented will be robbed of offering their side as well as the opposing section. I can not write a story on red versus yellow and cheer for yellow in the article. If I write with an opinion, I will not give the reader the chance to develop their own view on the subject. Unless you are writing an editorial, you are not supposed to show any feeling on the matter at hand while building your news report. It is one of the common writing ethics not to take sides, and to publicly judge someone on their views is awfully unfair. Sometimes it is incredibly difficult to restrain yourself from giving input on the topic, but your personal opinion is one decision you leave out of your newspaper writing.
The next of the Four Way test questions is a harder one to incorporate into writing. Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Truthfully, I do not often think about this question while working on a lead. It is tricky to relate this particular question to the newspaper. In the future, however, I intend to think harder about whether this will strengthen friendships and goodwill. In a school paper, one often writes about problems or topics closely related to the school and its students, teachers and administrators. In an establishment as large as Cumberland Valley High School, many students do not know half of the other teenagers in the school. When I write an article including someone’s opinions or words, it gives them a chance to speak to their classmates about what they think and make themselves known to kids who have never heard of them. Students’ quotes are required in our school newspaper stories, and that means that many different people get their fifteen minutes of fame whilst sharing their outlook on each issue.

The last question of the Rotary Four Way test is, in my opinion, the other three rolled into one simple question. Will it be beneficial to all concerned? What I see when I look at this question are all of the important components of the other questions asked. For my article to benefit the people who read it, it must be something that will tell the story truthfully, present all sides of the story, and hopefully better inform all members of the Cumberland Valley High School community. To write a beneficial story, I must have a topic that will help the reader to better understand or learn about a topic that they can relate to. If I were to pick a story idea about squirrels instead of a story about a girl in Cumberland Valley that helps out in Third World countries, I would not be picking the most beneficial topic. News writing can also be beneficial to my writing abilities. I must try my best to write articles to the full extent of my abilities, and with the hope that the story will further improve my style and skill for the next time I write in the newspaper.

News writing is exceptionally important to me. I feel proud when a product of my hard work is laid out in print to be distributed throughout the school to the students and staff. The Rotary Four Way test lends me a hand when I have decisions to make about my article. If my story passes the Four Way test, I know it will be a first-rate account that I would be proud to print. All of the questions can relate to the ethics of good journalism, and I intend to continue using them in my daily writing. The Rotary Club must be proud to have such a respectable maxim upon their wall, and I hope all of the members of the Club have found their own special use for the Rotary Four Way test as a guide in their daily lives.

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, 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.

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.

Never Be the Same Again!

Rotary Club of Pismo Beach / Five Cities
Akash Salam, First Place
Grade 7, Middle School Division
Ms. Duarte, Paulding Middle School

It was a beautiful morning; white, fluffy clouds drifting carelessly
across the blue, bright sky, morning birds chirping as they got ready
for a quick breakfast, tall trees covered by leaves upon leaves. Won-
dering if the day could have been any better, I walked through dew
covered grass and looked at the guys getting ready to play kickball.
Little did I know that this perfect day would turn into my worst night-
mare…. “Akash! Hey, Akash! Join our team, dude!” cried a voice
from the kickball field. I jogged the rest of the way and joined the
three players.
“I get Akash,” cried William with a lot of enthusiasm. I strolled over
to William, who gave me a high-five, and stood beside him. William
was my best friend from second grade on. He always stood by me no
matter what and was an all around great person. He was almost a
foot taller than me and weighed nearly 220 pounds (no offense to
that), and was a terrific friend to have.
“Fine! You can have him,” Jack said, showing anger. “I get Steve.
Come on, Steve!” Jack was by far the meanest maniac in the 6th
grade. The guy was legendary for trash talking and picking on kids.
With a sad expression upon his face, Steve walked over to Jack, who
gave him a back-breaking slap on the back.
Kickball wasn’t the most interesting sport in our school, not even
close. 6th graders were more interested in social life, you know…
girlfriends and boyfriends. William and I always enjoyed kickball, but
didn’t like it when Jack was involved in any way. And the idea of two-
on-two didn’t appeal to us either.
“You go first, Akash”, William requested with a small smile. That’s
what I liked about William. He cared more about his family members
and friends, than himself. I jumped on the batter’s plate and waited
for the pitch. Jack pitched the ball with all of the power in his entire
body. The ball came at me so fast, that I couldn’t position my legs
correctly. Still, I managed to kick the thing past Jack and toward mid-
field. Instantly, I ran toward first base, but noticed that the ball was
already thrown by Jack and reaching Steve, who stood on first waiting
for the ball. I sprinted but the ball was catching up to me. I slid,
touched the base, and looked up to see if the ball made it as well.
Steve was clutching it in his hands with a confused expression.
“You’re out, Akash. Get off the plate and join your losing team.
Here, give me the ball, Steve!. “You lose, sucker!” Jack screamed. “I
wasn’t out! I made it before Steve caught the ball!” I protested.
“Yeah, right! Get OFF, Akash. You are OUT!” roared Jack
“No, I was safe!” All of a sudden, Jack threw the ball right at me,
aiming for my legs, but he missed. Gritting my teeth, I rushed toward
him and pushed him. Jack slammed into the ground with an earth
shaking force. Everyone froze. Everyone was silent. Everyone was
shocked. Everyone was a …witness. I was shocked myself, for do-
ing such a horrible thing. Terror came to me when I looked at Jack.
Much to my amazement, Jack was up on his feet, clutching his stom-
ach with his left hand, while his right one pointed directly toward me.
“NO! Jack don’t. I’m sorry….” I couldn’t finish the sentence as
Jack punched me right in the stomach. He then aimed for my head,
but I dodged him and attacked with a kick right at his wounded arm,
followed by a strong blow at his head. Seeing that he didn’t go down,
I closed my fist and struck a blow at his neck. Jack instantly fell to the
ground, face first. Blood came gushing out the cut that my kick made
in his middle finger. Jack forced himself up, and with a disgusted ex-
pression on his face, whispered, “You’re gone Akash, out of this
school!” He rushed toward the school office, trying not to fall over.
“Akash…why, why did you do that pal? You might get suspended
or even expelled!”, William said with a sad and disappointed tone.
He came over and rested his hand on my shoulder. I didn’t move, I
couldn’t move. What have I done? Fighting at school! What if Jack
told on me? He surely will. How will my parents react to this horrible
incident? I couldn’t think about it anymore. My stomach hurt. I be-
gan to sweat and felt extremely dizzy.
“I…I don’t know William, I don’t know what to do. I better go, don’t
wanna be late for class”. With that, I hurried toward my classroom,
leaving William behind. As soon as I reached my class, I was told by
my teacher to head to the office. She had a disappointed and
shocked expression on her face. Surely, I was being sent to the office
regarding the fight, but what would I do? I have never been sus-
pended or expelled in my whole life, heck I didn’t even go to the office
for anything bad at all. As I walked through the deserted hallway, I
thought to myself if this was the last time I would be walking through
this hallway, smelling the cookies being baked in the cafeteria, hear-
ing the chatter of the kindergartners, or see my school.
Upon entering the office, I noticed that Jack was sitting on a chair
with bandages all over his hand and an ice pack on his head and an-
other one on his neck. The principal, Mr. Norveka, was looking at
Jack with a sorry expression, but not anger. When he finally noticed
me, Mr. Norveka commanded, “Akash, sit.” Suddenly his expression
changed; it became irritated. “So, let me get this straight,” Mr.
Norveka started, “Akash, you purposely punched Jack …” “Sir, I…”
I tried to defend myself, but didn’t have any luck. “Don’t interrupt me.
Akash, you punched Jack in his stomach, then kicked his finger, and
finally elbowed him on his head. You realize this is illegal at school?”
questioned Mr. Norveka. I had to think of something that would get
me out of this, but what?
“I didn’t hit, punch, or elbow Jack! He’s lying, Mr. Norveka! I would
never do such a horrible thing to anyone!” “Then how do you explain
the cuts and bruises?” challenged the principal. Without looking at
him, I answered, “It was William, sir! William is the one who did it! I
swear!” I had to do something to save myself and blaming seemed
the only option. “William? Is that true, Jack? Did William hit you?
You told me Akash did it!.” “WHAT!? No, no, Akash did this to me!
It was Akash! Tell the truth you liar! Don’t blame your best friend,
William!” Jack shouted.
“You’re a liar, Jack! You are just blaming me because I’m better
than you at sprinting, and you want to get me expelled! You know
William did this!” I exclaimed, trying to be as confident as I could pos-
sibly be. “Stop it, you two! I’m calling William and I’m going to get the
truth.” I felt dry to the pit of my stomach. Will William tell him the
truth or the lie?
When William saw Jack and me, he lost the small amount of color
in his face. He made eye contact with me, but not for long. “William
sit, please.” Mr. Norveka explained everything. After a minute of
dead silence, William finally replied, “I didn’t do it.”
Tears rolled from his eyes as he spoke those few words. He tried
to hold the tears with his fingers, but couldn’t manage. “So, Akash
did it?” Mr. Norveka questioned, looking at me with an I-knew-you-
did-it-expression. Jack quietly snickered. William didn’t have a re-
sponse to this. The poor boy looked as if he had been slapped in his
face and then humiliated in front of millions of people. William, you
may leave,” the principal finally requested. William left, without look-
ing at me or anyone else. Suddenly I started to cry. “I am so disap-
pointed in you, Akash. You hurt someone, and then you blame it on
your best friend, thinking you can get away with it? Jack, you may go
back to class.” Jack stood up, glanced at me with a grin, and left.
The principal asked, “Akash, why?” I didn’t answer. I felt so sad
that I wanted to disappear from the face of the earth. “You will be
given a 5 week suspension.” The principal began calling my parents.
. My life completely changed after that incident. Completely. My
parents were so shocked and disappointed that they didn’t talk to me
that day. The following morning, my mom cried so much, it seemed
as if her son had died. My dad was almost the opposite. He was
extremely furious. I had to avoid him at all costs. The following days
were the worst in my entire 12-year-old life. I stayed in my room,
kept quiet and read books, coming out only to consume dinner and
lunch. My parents never talked with me anymore. I have never seen
them act that way. They were just so…so disappointed that it was
unbelievable. When in my room, I sometimes heard them say, “What
will happen to him, what’s the reason for us to live?”
As the following days passed, my parents became normal again.
Well, not like they once were, but normal enough to talk to me. I had
lost my old parents…I so much wish I had them back! And my
friends? Well, there were none. William, who used to come over to
my house every single day of the week, never showed up again or
called or played with me online. I had lost my best friend because of
a lie, a horrible lie. My other friends never contacted me. They went
on with their lives, forgetting the once great Akash. The word
“friendship” disappeared from my vocabulary.
My neighbors didn’t have different opinions about me either. My
parents were secretive about my suspension with my relatives, so
they didn’t behave as badly After the five dreadful weeks, I returned
to school. It was the last thing I wanted to do, but I had to because of
my parents.
School was much, much worse. William had moved out of the city.
Jack had changed and became a “good” guy with friends appearing
everywhere he went. My teachers were awful to me; they knew what
had happened and didn’t appreciate it at all. My principal ignored me.
Not that surprising.
As days passed, I learned that my fight with Jack did something that
caused the whole school to suffer. Our school, Guilevia Elementary,
was given awful scores on behavior control. I don’t know if our fight
affected the decision, but I was sure that it had an impact on it. Be-
cause we fought, the school suffered. I felt miserable.
Did I tell the truth to the principal? I lied, causing my friendship to
collapse. Was it fair to all concerned? The whole school and
neighborhood suffered miserably because I battled in a stupid fight for
no reason whatsoever. Did it build good will and better friendship? I
lost all of my friends and don’t know if I’ll ever have a friend once
more. Was it beneficial to all concerned? Beneficial? It was the
worst possible incident that ever occurred to Guilevia; a student caus-
ing all this trouble to get away from a small suspension! Even a thief
stealing goods wouldn’t be as bad. I did all that. It was unbelievable!
As I lay on my bed that lonely night, I didn’t know if I was ever going
to have a future, friends, or family that cared for me. I had betrayed
everyone. I didn’t know if I would ever become normal again, but I
did know that my life would never, ever be the same ….

Un-4-gettable

Rotary Club of Pismo Beach / Five Cities
Tori Miles, First Place
Grade 9, High School Division
Mrs. Wade , Arroyo Grande High School

There is an escalating problem occurring in households all over the
world. A bitter, unending battle, which can only be resolved by its
participants. No, it’s not starvation, not abuse, not poverty, but…
sibling rivalry. Yes it’s true. Sibling rivalry happens at least to some
degree in every home, not excluding mine. In our house, my brother
and I get along as well as an acrophobic claustrophobe and a glass
elevator. We’re not fighting 24/7 but, I think we do argue more than is
needed. It would be great if once in a while we could just sit and
watch T.V. or eat dinner without breaking out in a battle over what
show to watch or who gets the last soda (because sodas are a rarity
in our house). Yet, in this bleak time, it seems as if there is a beam of
hope shining into our dark situation in the form of the Rotary Club’s 4-
Way Test. Everyone makes mistakes now and then, and it would
help us all if we thought of our own consequences as well as other’s
before we acted. I think that my brother and I would both get along
better if we started asking ourselves, “Is it the truth?” Is it fair to all
concerned?” “Will it build good will and better friendships?”, and “Will
it be beneficial to all concerned?”
Sometimes, a lie can be the easiest and, what we think is, the best
way to deal with a tough situation. Yet it is actually the exact oppo-
site. By using the first question of the 4-Way Test, Is it the truth?, you
can save yourself a load of time and trouble. I really like to cook, and
I especially enjoy baking cookies and trying new and different recipes
each time. But there’s one problem with this hobby. My brother.
Whenever I cook something, he never is interested in helping me
bake the food or wash the dishes. He just hovers around the kitchen
area like a vulture and waits until I take the helpless sheet of cookies
out of the oven. Then he is very interested in them. So sometimes I
lie to him and tell him that the sugar cookies I made are actually coco-
nut, because he despises coconut. When he hears that, he recoils
from the cookies like they’re poisonous, but my scheme only works
for a little while. Once my mom or dad tries them and tells me how
great these sugar cookies are, my plan is ruined and I have to face an
angry, hungry brother plus my parents scolding me for lying. If I use
the 4-Way Test before I deal with my brother, I won’t have to deal
with him or my parents being mad, and maybe if I’m truthful to him,
he’ll think about helping me out once in a while.
It’s human nature to think of yourself first, then consider others after
you’ve been taken care of. But the 4-Way Test’s second step, Is It
fair to all concerned?, shows that reversing this habit could be just as
helpful to you. My brother has this annoying habit of always eating
the last of something that someone had already asked him to save, or
told him that they were going to eat it later. I remember one time we
bought a box of chocolate Cocoa Krispies to make a special dessert
for a party we were having. Our mom hardly every buys sugar cereal,
so this was a big deal. Anyway, we had already made the thing for
the party and we still had half a box left, so we thought we would save
it to make the dessert again in a week or so. I made sure everyone
knew the cereal was to be saved and not eaten. But I guess I
should’ve had everyone swear an oath, or sign a treaty because three
days later, my brother was found sitting at the table, with the entire
half-box of cereal heaped like an overflowing mountain in his bowl.
Instead of letting everyone share the dessert I was going to make, he
decided to eat all of the cereal himself, without asking. We all were
angry, but there was nothing we could do, it was already gone. I think
after that he realized that he should’ve considered the situation from
everyone else’s view as well as his, because it was certainly fair to
him, but not to the rest of us. If he’d used the 4-way Test to begin
with, he probably would’ve realized that it wasn’t very fair that only he
got to enjoy the treat and the rest of us just got to watch him. This
example may sound petty, but I think that we should use the 4-Way
Test not just on major, life-changing decisions, but everyday ones as
well.
O.K. enough talk about food. Friendships are something that every-
one has experienced. They aren’t always good, but if you try hard,
you can at least make them better. One way you can build better
friendships is by using the third assessment of the 4-Way Test, Will it
build good will and better friendships? My family’s backyard isn’t like
most. We have a nice lawn, a hot tub, a barbeque and chickens.
Yes, chickens. Chickens are not a normal pet in the city; they can’t
run around freely or anything. This means that we have to keep them
in a coop, which means we have to clean the coop pretty much every
day. We each have our “chicken jobs”. I clean and fill food and wa-
ter, my brother cleans and fills the nesting boxes. But there’s one
thing no one likes to do and that is collect the eggs. It may not sound
hard, but trust me, it is annoying. The chickens decided that instead
of using the nice, clean, roomy, new nesting boxes my dad built for
them, they’d rather lay their eggs in the dirt nest. The dirt nest is a
nest they dug down in the deepest, darkest, hardest place to reach in
the coop. So to get the eggs, you have to get down on your knees
and stretch your arm out, under the ramp (which bars you from look-
ing in), then grope around in there until you grasp one of the eggs
and pull it out. This needs to be repeated about ten times, because
that’s how many eggs we get a day. Annoying. Well, we fabricated
this rule that whoever does the chickens last, has to get the eggs.
I try to do my job first every day to get it over with. So my brother al-
most always has to get the eggs, which makes him follow me around
every day saying I’m lazy because I don’t ever get the eggs. If I use
the third step of the 4-Way Test when I’m taking care of the chickens,
I could start getting the eggs sometimes. And if I try to split the duties
a little better, I’m sure my brother will be happier and our friendship
would improve. Plus it’s good to do things for others, even if you
don’t have to or weren’t asked to.
It’s easy for us to get lazy and not want to try our best or spend a lot
of time on tasks we’re assigned to do. That’s why it’s smart to also
use the final step of the 4-Way Test, Will it be beneficial to all con-
cerned?, and apply it to your situation before you act. My brother and
I love to play games on the computer and on the Playstation, but not
the same games. He likes the fighting and WW II ones, and I like the
fun and challenging ones. We take turns playing on the computer,
and we don’t bother each other. But my brother has one annoying
habit. He takes his game out of the computer and then puts it in the
first open box he sees, and it’s normally the wrong box. This is ag-
gravating because whenever I go to look for a game, I pick up its box,
but the wrong game is inside! So then I have to search through each
box until I finally find what I’m looking for. I get angry at my brother
about it sometimes because he doesn’t think about what he does
when he’s doing it, he just does it. And the funny thing is he has just
as hard of a time finding his games as I do. If he thinks “Will it be
beneficial to all concerned” before he puts his game away, he might
realize that not only will it not be beneficial to me, it won’t be very
beneficial to him because we both end up spending time looking for
the games that he misplaced.
So, in the end, I think that anyone who makes any decision should
try to use the 4-Way Test as often as possible. Before they act they
should ask themselves, “Is it the truth?”, “Is it fair to all concerned?”,
Will it build good will and better friendships?”, and “Will it be beneficial
to all concerned?” The situations I described earlier are light, and
may seem insignificant. But really, if one gets used to using the 4-
Way Test in less complicated situations, they will be more prepared
for complex ones. I’m going to try harder from now on to use these
four simple steps to help me in whatever I do, especially when it
comes to how I deal with my brother. So I guess there may be a cure
for the horrible problem known as sibling rivalry, and I bet the out-
come of using the 4-Way Test will bring un-4-gettable results.

How Can I Apply the Four-Way Test in My Life?

District 6450 Winner
Rotary Club of Woodridge
Jessica Vosicky, First Place
St Scholastica School, Woodridge, IL
Teacher: Eileen Quinn

How Can I apply the Four-Way Test to my life? One experience in which I can apply the test is cheating. If you utilize this test method it will help you make the right choice.

Step one of the Four-Way Test is, “Is it the truth?” Cheating is never the truth. Either you’re lying to the teacher saying that it is your work when it is really another student’s, or you’re helping someone lie to a teacher by giving them the answers.

Step two to the Four-Way Test is, “Is it fair to all concerned?” No! Cheating isn’t fair to anyone. For example, is it fair to someone who does their own work to give you answers just because you were lazy? Also, do you think it is right to give answers to someone who didn’t do their work. No, they will never learn anything and you deserve the credit for your hard work.

Step three to the Four-Way Test is, “Will it build good will and better friendship?” Initially, many think it will help, but in the end you are hurting each other. If a friend keeps giving you answers you will never learn, and vice-versa. You will never feel good about a good grade if you don’t earn it yourself.

Step four to the Four-Way Test is, “Will it be beneficial to all concerned?” If you are always giving a friend answers, will you be helping them for high school? No, they will just end up falling behind next year.

The Four-Way Test can help you make better choices. Just ask yourself these questions to see if the choice you’re going to make is the right or wrong choice.

The Rotary 4-Way Test

Rotary Club of Pismo Beach / Five Cities
Morgan Wertz, First Place
Grade 3, Primary Division
Julie Elvin/Sharon Scudder, Harloe

The Rotary 4-Way Test reminds me of the laws I follow in my Girl Scout Brownie Troop, which were written to remind us how we should act as individuals, and how others should be treated. When I first read the Rotary’s 4 principles, they made me think, once again, of how I should act and treat others.
The Rotary 4-Way Test can be used in everything we say and do. Whether my troop is presenting at our multi-cultural event, or selling Girl Scout cookies, we must be TRUTHFUL and honest to everyone. Each time my troop meets, we plan new activities to help others, which is very rewarding. Before Christmas, we walked around neighborhoods, collecting canned food donations for the needy. This activity helped us build GOOD WILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS in our community, and was BENEFICIAL to all concerned.
In my school we have rules, in my community we have laws, and in my country we have regulations. It seems as if rules and laws help guide people in society—and the Rotary’s 4 principles guide us to become better citizens in this society. Without them, the world would be a crazy place! People would NOT be TRUTHFUL, they would NOT be FAIR to all concerned, they would NOT be able to build GOOD WILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS, and their actions would NOT be BENEFICIAL to all concerned. I think the Rotary 4-Way Test can be used in our schools, communities, and country.
I often wonder what the world would be like without any wars or hunger. What if there were no drugs or homeless people living on the streets? Then life would be BENEFICIAL to all concerned. If everyone had jobs and were paid for their work, it would be FAIR to all concerned. If there was no hate in this world, we could build GOOD WILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS. I once read a Japanese Proverb that says: “Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare”. I think the 4-Way Test could be our ‘vision’ to help our ‘actions’ in making this world a better place.
I can truly see how the Rotary’s 4-Ways can be used in my Brownie Troop, my school, my community, my country, and the world.
As a Girl Scout, I will continue to follow the Girl Scout law, which states:
“I will do my best to be HONEST and FAIR,
FRIENDLY and HELPFUL,
CONSIDERATE and CARING,
COURAGEOUS and STRONG, and
RESPONSIBLE for what I say and do…”
I think the Rotary’s 4 principles are like the Girl Scout Law. As I grow older, I will do my best to be a good citizen. I will remember to practice the Rotary’s 4-Way Test in all I think, say or do:
“Is it the TRUTH?
Is it FAIR to all concerned?
Will it build GOOD WILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
I believe the Rotary 4-Way Test can give us all the ‘vision’ we are looking for.

Blame it on Bro

Rotary Club of Pismo Beach / Five Cities
Mariah Cossey, First Place
Grade 6, Intermediate Division
Staci Andrews, Grover Heights

About 3 years ago, my brother and I were given the chance to prove our sense of responsibility. Alex, my ten-year-old brother, was swamped with homework so he was allowed to stay home from a two-hour meeting that my parents had to go to. I begged to be allowed to stay home too, but they were reluctant at first.
“Please, Mom!” I pleaded with my wide 8-year-old eyes. “I don’t know if you’re ready yet, Maia. You have to prove your maturity first,” my mom droned, giving me the look that showed pity, love, and annoyance. Finally, after my rather sophisticated way of reasoning, she let me stay with the warning that I would lose their trust if I misbehaved.
That day I found out that staying home alone wasn’t as much fun as I thought it would be and after an hour I was practically dying of boredom. Skipping into my brother’s room, I saw that he had language arts, math, and social studies homework to finish. But of course I did what every normal kid would do.
“Whatcha doin?” I asked in a sickly sweet and innocent voice. “Homework,” he grunted. “Get out!” “What’s this?” I asked cutely, holding up his math work. His reaction was to ignore me, but that was the worst thing he could have done. “I’ll rip it! I sang malevolently. “Leave! He yelled at me grabbing back his papers.
I didn’t move so…he shoved me to the ground. All the energy and anger from being bored, ignored and shoved built up inside me until there was no room for anything else. Eyes wild, I flew at my brother with claws out and reason gone. I didn’t stop to think about the outcomes my actions might have. I just did it. I bit and scratched my brother until he kicked me back, but that just infuriated me more. Like a wild beast I tore up his math papers, ran from the kill to my room and locked the door.
When my parents came home, they confronted me with hostile expressions after talking with Alex. I stared at my mom and, with a dry mouth, did what they told me never to do. I lied.
I made up a story of how I was minding my own business when I thought I might ask my brother to play with me. I told them I accidentally ripped his paper as I was leaving. Then he started attacking me. I finished with a tale of remorse for hurting him in my self-defense. My brother had been known to have a temper lately and a history of lying about video games so they believed me. Mostly…. Our only punishment was a time out and Alex got one too.
That night, guilt welled up inside me. The harder I tried to ignore it the fiercer it fought. It swelled and writhed and ate away at me until I had to get up and go to the sink. I drank in desperation to try and drown the evil, guilt-ridden monster, but it was persistent. At last I gave in and ran to my parents’ room. They weren’t all too enthusiastic about me waking them from their beneficial sleep so early in the morning. But when I told them it was to fix my fragile friendship with Alex they got nice. I told them everything, the complete truth this time. The punishment for lying, hurting Alex and ripping his homework was great but at least I could sleep at night.
Looking back, I realize how much better off I would have been if I had thought about the 4-Way Test before I acted. The 4-Way Test is a perfect thing to go by in life. However, to put it in clear, simple terms, I will probably make a big mistake again. Nobody is perfect. No matter how good you are, you aren’t going to think about the test for everything in your life, Eventually, everyone is going to mess up badly at some point. That’s the truth and that’s what I know.

Living Out the 4-Way Test

Rotary Club of Pismo Beach / Five Cities
Jacob Kephart, First Place
Grade 8, Middle School Division
Mrs. Hjalmarson, Paulding

What would you do if someone treated you poorly? How would you respond? Would you seek revenge? My dad experienced a situation like this last year. However, he did not seek revenge but instead responded with good will and truth. This example, along with the consistently fair and truthful manner in which he lives his life, has been a powerful example to me of how to apply the 4-Way Test in every situation: is it the truth, is it fair, will it build good will and better friendships, and will it be beneficial to all concerned?
To begin with, my dad showed me what true honesty is. It started when a little league coach told my dad that he wanted to coach the all-star team with him. A lot of guys who had kids in the league told my dad that their kids wanted to play on his all-star team. When the time came for the draft, the little league coach decided that he wanted to take the older all-star team and put his son on it. One of the reasons this happened was that a few of the men whose kids were in the league told the coach to take the older team and put their kids on that team as well. This coach lied to my dad and left him without a coach and with few players to choose from. However, my dad confronted the coach, spoke to him in honesty and kindness, and refused to spread gossip.
My dad always showed fairness to the coach and the other men who lied to him. For example, the coach needed a job and asked my dad to help him get one at the prison where my dad works. My dad, who could have refused to help, decided to help him get a job. I was shocked when he did this, but then realized that it was the right thing to do. Also, one of the guys who lied to my dad asked my dad to help his kids get on a throwing program, and my dad helped him without giving it a second thought. My dad’s actions showed me what true fairness is.
Another important thing my dad did was build friendships with the men who wronged him. This not only benefited him and the men but the whole league as well. Even with what happened to my dad, he and the coach who had lied put together a club team. My dad talks with this coach and the other men involved on a regular basis. They are all friends because of how my dad treated them.
I learned what the 4-Way Test is by watching my dad live it. The 4-Way Test is not
just reading words over and over, but letting those words change you from the inside out. This change will result in living these principles on a daily basis. That is how my dad is, and this the way I am striving to be.