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.

1 way or 4 ways

Rotary Club of Pismo Beach / Five Cities
McKenna Arnold, Second Place
Grade 6, Intermediate Division
Mrs. Hayes, Ocean View School

Hurricanes can destroy houses and lives.  After Hurricane Katrina,
many fundraisers were started to help all the people who suffered.
This is where our story starts.
As I said before, many fundraisers were being formed to help all of
the people whose houses had been destroyed.  Our story starts at a
fundraiser in Lakeside, Michigan.  Many people in Michigan had rela-
tives who suffered, so of course they wanted to help out.  On every
street there were stands asking people to buy lemonade or to just
plain give money.  One of the people who was doing a fundraiser was
Sally Kimble and her family.  Sally had an aunt who had suffered.
The Johnson family next door had an uncle too.  They switched off
every day to work the booth.  The Johnson family had a little girl
named Julie.  Their houses were on the end of the street that opened
into the housing district, so naturally they got the most money.  Their
average had been raised to 100 dollars per day.
One day Sally and Julie were walking home when they passed the
toy store.  Inside on the window display they saw a Barbie Dream
House, with all of her little friends (the one that Clara Barton had been
bragging about all day at school).  They looked closer.  They saw that
it cost 125 dollars.  That was more than both Sally’s and Julie’s
money combined.  They both looked at each other and knew that they
both wanted it, but they both knew that it was impossible without their
parents’ help.  Plus where would they keep it?  They both walked
home dragging their feet.  When they got home they both went out to
the fort Sally’s dad had built them.  In there they talked about the
dream house and how they could buy one.  Many ideas came, but
none sounded as if it could work.  Suddenly Julie came up with a
crazy idea.
They could steal from the fundraiser!  She kept on talking rapidly
about the plans and how they could do it when Sally finally inter-
rupted.  She knew it was wrong, but the idea of the dream house kept
tormenting her.  In the end she finally agreed but her parents couldn’t
be around them when they took the money.  They both counted their
money and they came up with $73.99.  They would have to take
$55.01 plus tax!
On the day they decided to steal the money, their parents had to go
grocery shopping and left them in charge of the booth.  No one was
coming toward them at the moment, so they took the  money and put
it in the fort.  Later, when their parents got home, Sally and Julie left
to go and buy the dream house.
While Sally and Julie were walking, Sally was thinking about what
they were about to do.  She asked herself 4 questions: Is it the
truth? No, they were stealing.  Is it fair to all concerned?  Well, no,
they were stealing from a charity that was going to help people who
really needed it, they were betraying their parents’ trust, and they
were taking other people’s money.  Will it build good will and better
friendships?  Again, no, they are taking money that could build
good will and better friendship, but no.  And will it be beneficial to all
concerned?  Also no, it is not beneficial to the people they were
raising the money for, or their parents.  It was only beneficial to
them.  Right as they were about to enter the toy shop, Sally
stopped them.  She mentioned to Julie what they were about to do
and they both thought about it.  Julie soon reached the same con-
clusion that Sally had.  They were doing something very wrong.
They both went home and secretly returned the money.
For the next 2 weeks Sally and Julie worked extra hard on the
household chores and got enough money to buy their own dream
house.  When they got home with their new toy, they realized that it
is better to work hard for something and enjoy their accomplish-
ment, than to take credit for someone else’s hard work.  Now Sally,
Julie and myself know that 4 questions can save you from making a
big mistake.

The Four-Way Test and Ethics

Rotary Club of Pismo Beach / Five Cities
Ben Zwarg, Third Place
Grade 6, Intermediate Division
Mrs. Hayes, Ocean View School

Ethics is the act of making decisions because they are RIGHT and
not just because they are required or expected.  Sometimes this re-
quires making hard decisions.  This is where the Four-Way Test can
help you out in deciding the RIGHT thing to do.
Last weekend, I promised my grandma that I would go to lunch with
her and help her clean up her motor home.  After having baseball
practice for 2 hours that morning, I didn’t feel like doing anything the
rest of the day.  I called her on my cell phone and told her I didn’t feel
like meeting her.  She was very disappointed in me.  I told her I would
call her back.  I didn’t feel good about not keeping my word.  My belly
felt weird.  This is when I applied the Four-Way Test.
Step One of the Four-Way Test is, “Is it the truth?”  Yes, I was not
honoring my commitment I had made to my grandma.
Step Two is, “Is it fair to all concerned?”  No, it was not fair to her
because she had scheduled her day around meeting me.  She could
have been doing other things instead of waiting for me.  She was
counting on enjoying lunch together and getting some work done.  I
was letting her down.
Step Three is, “Will it build good will and better friendships?”  No,
because when you don’t keep your word, you don’t build people’s
confidence in you.  People will not “forgive and forget” if you haven’t
proven yourself to be trustworthy.
Step Four, “Will it be beneficial to all concerned?”  No, if you are
always not doing what you say you are going to do, people will stop
wanting to be around you and you will not have any friends.  People
do not like to feel like they are being taken advantage of.  They also
don’t like to waste their time.  No amount of reasons or excuses
change the fact that you either kept your word, or you didn’t.
So, after thinking all this over, I decided to call my grandma back
and tell her I had changed my mind.  At first, she acted like I had
blown my chance to meet her.  I had let her down and she was not
going to give me a second chance.  That’s when my mom stepped in
and told her that I was just learning how important it is to keep my
word and how my decisions affect others.  She changed her mind and
we had a great lunch and worked hard that afternoon.
Even though I didn’t feel like meeting her, I did it because it was the
RIGHT thing to do.  Sometimes, doing the RIGHT thing isn’t always
the most fun but it is worth it.  It made me feel better.  Also, my
grandma knew that  I respected her and that I am trustworthy
Applying the Four Way Test made me think about how my own
actions affect how other people think of me and how I feel about my-
self.  I will use this Rotary test to help me say and do the RIGHT thing
in the future.

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 ….

Making A Difference in our Community One Action at a Time

Rotary Club of Pismo Beach / Five Cities
Makulumy Alexander-Hills, Second Place
Grade 8, Middle School Division
Ms. McLaughlin, Judkins Middle School

“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one,” Mother
Teresa said.  This is completely true when speaking about an individ-
ual’s role in benefiting one’s community.  We may not be able to help
our entire town, but we can start small and make a difference, for
every tiny bit helps.
We can help others in our community by starting with our own fam-
ily.  I know what it is like to live in a family where parents are looking
for a job, and where money may be scarce.  As  teenagers we can
help out simply by doing the laundry or cooking dinner.  Small chores
such as these are time consuming, and when our parents do not have
to worry about completing them, they tend to have lighter attitudes
and more relaxed conversations with us at the end of a long day.
Also, teens can be beneficial to their family by tutoring younger sib-
lings, holding small fundraisers, such as garage sales for outgrown
clothes or toys, and mowing lawns.  Everything helps.  As a teen, I
can see how we can spread goodwill by tutoring neighborhood chil-
dren.  I know what it is like when a kid down the street comes to your
house to say, “thank you; you helped me get a good grade on the test
I took yesterday”.  It’s only fair to help others; by doing so, we may
build friendships not just among ourselves, but among our parents as
well.
We can also benefit our community at school.  Our local middle
school has a “Natural Helper” program where students are chosen to
help others in need of academic support.  Natural helpers build strong
friendships with someone who may not have many friends or some-
one who needs a peer to discuss ideas and family issues with them.
Also, as students, we can support our school through fundraisers.  By
helping our school, we benefit others in our community.
Finally, teens are not too young to join parents who help our com-
munity directly by being present at city council meetings where they
share their ideas of fairness and their hopes for their city.  Also, they
can help feed the homeless.  I know what it is like to be involved with
feeding, helping, and entertaining the homeless on Christmas Day.
I know how contributing to my community builds friendships not just
between the homeless and ourselves, but also between the other
members who support the homeless along with us.  Finally, I share a
sense of fairness when helping them select warm clothing items or
sleeping bags, giving a fair amount to all.  Helping out at a homeless
dinner shows community goodwill.  Without these dinners, the home-
less would have no place to go on Christmas and they would feel
even more unfairness in their plight.
Overall, there are many ways to spread good will in our community.
We may promote fairness and speak the truth at a city council meet-
ing, help build friendships at our schools and at homeless dinners,
and benefit the entire community by simply tutoring a struggling stu-
dent.  But if each individual thought consciously about the principles
of the 4-Way Test before choosing what to say to another individual,
or how to act towards others, we could build a caring community that
knows no limits.

The Test of a True Friend

Rotary Club of Pismo Beach / Five Cities
Anna Miller, Third Place
Grade 8, Middle School Division
Mrs. Fierman , Judkins Middle School

“You’re out Anna! You’re out!”
The girls that I thought were my friends suddenly were my enemies.
They ganged up on me to make me lose the basketball game, and
now they were saying mean things and making fun of me. One of my
best friends, Chloee, had a new friend and now that new friend was
trying to take her away from me. Even Chloee was following the
crowd and yelling at me. I felt hurt, embarrassed, and alone.
Suddenly I heard a voice say, “You guys aren’t being very nice!
Anna, you can come and play with me.” It was my friend, Amelia.
She wasn’t playing the game, but she saw what was happening. She
came over and stuck up for me. I felt so much better. I was amazed
that my friend had so much courage to stand up to a group like that.
This happened three years ago and I still remember it very clearly.
At school I learned about the Four Way Test. It is something that
we should think about when we are trying to make a decision about
how to treat others. Before we act, we should ask ourselves these
four questions: Is it the truth? Is it fair? Will it build good will and bet-
ter friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? I don’t know if
Amelia knew about the Four Way Test, but she acted like she knew.
Is it the truth? A true friend is honest. Amelia showed that she was
a trustworthy friend by sticking up for me. The other girls made me
doubt that I could trust them because of their mean behavior.
It is fair? Amelia saw that the other girls were not playing fairly.
They ganged up on me and they cheated just to get me out. She was
not afraid to tell them that they were treating me unfairly.
Will it build good will and better friendships? The girls who ganged
up on me damaged our friendship. After that I could never be sure
that they were truly my friends, but Amelia showed me that she was a
good friend. She built good will, because she did what she thought
was right and not what everyone else was doing. After that our
friendship was stronger because I knew that she would always be
there for me when I needed a true friend. I have drifted apart from
many of those untrue friends, but Amelia and I are still very close.
Will it be beneficial to all concerned? I think that Amelia was benefi-
cial to everyone because she showed how good friends treat each
other. She helped me by making me feel better and by showing me
that I really did have a good friend.

The Four Way Test can sometimes be hard to follow. It means that
you have to speak up when you see people doing something wrong.
That can be very difficult to do, but Amelia did it for me and that is
why after all of these years I still remember what she did and I still
consider her my best friend.

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.

Running Into a New Experience

Rotary Club of Pismo Beach / Five Cities
Sean Pringle, Second Place
Grade 10, High School Division
Ms. Derbidge, Arroyo Grande High School

Prior to my sophomore year on the cross country team, I had never
seen my health at risk.  Yet, as it turned out, an activity in which I en-
joyed performing the most, would lead to some of the most difficult
decisions of my life.  In a truly unique way, these choices led me to
discovering a new part of myself that continues to guide me toward a
prosperous future.
This condition first appeared in September of 2007.  After finishing
a race in Clovis, I felt a faint dizziness.  It was as if my head was spin-
ning furiously, and I couldn’t stop it.  After an hour, the weariness
ended, but the condition did not.  Upon experiencing the same result
at the end of two more races, my cross country coach advised me to
consult a doctor.  That is when I decided to inform my parents about
this peculiar matter, and they took me to receive an  electrocardio-
gram at the Arroyo Grande Hospital.  The results: I had low blood
pressure and perhaps an enlarged heart.  For further testing, I went to
Sierra Vista Medical Center in San Luis Obispo.  After going through
a series of additional tests, I waited anxiously for two days, anticipat-
ing the test results.  To my relief, I did not have an overly large heart,
although my caring personality says otherwise, and my low blood
pressure was a result of the intense cardiovascular exercise I was
receiving from running.  However, it was during this time of anxiety
and anticipation that I witnessed all four aspects of the Four-Way
Test.
The first question of the Four-Way Test emerged out of my own self-
denial.  As running seemed to be a passion of mine, I never expected
it to cause such a detrimental effect on me.  As a result, I overlooked
the truth behind the reason for my condition.  I also failed to be truth-
ful to my family.  I waited to tell my parents about my “fainting experi-
ence” until it had occurred multiple times, and after my coach advised
me to get a check up.  Failing to tell the truth both to myself and the
people closest to me was a mistake that the Four-Way Test has
taught me never to do again.
While I waited for the hospital results, many thoughts flashed before
me concerning my cross country team members, my family, and even
myself.  My first concern was the effect that the results would have on
my future cross country running.  Would I still be able to participate on
the team?  As I thought of  this, I wondered whether I would be able
to go to future cross country meets  to race.  Would it be fair to desert
the other cross country members when I was concerned with my own
well-being?  I also took into account the response of my family.

Divine Friendships

Rotary Club of Pismo Beach / Five Cities
Cheyenne Bartlett, Third Place
Grade 9, High School Division
Mrs. Bishop, Arroyo Grande High School

George Eliot once said, “Perhaps the most delightful friendships are
those in which there is much agreement, much disputation, and yet
more personal liking.”  These delightful friendships adhere to the 4-
Way Test.  The 4-Way Test consists of four questions, ”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?”  If everyone ap-
plied these questions to their life, most everyone would have better
friendships.  The 4-Way Test encourages relationships, increases
trust and helps alleviate problems.
This test is promising to relationships if we share the truth with oth-
ers.  First of all, Kahill Gibran quoted, “Truth is a deep kindness that
teaches us to be content in our everyday life and share with the peo-
ple the same happiness.”  Truth needs to be shared with other people
so they can have happiness also.  If we keep that happiness to our-
selves, our happiness will not rub off on anyone.  Second of all, it is
one of the severest tests of friendship to tell your friend his faults.  “So
to love a man that you cannot bear to see a stain upon him and to
speak painful truth through loving words, that is friendship,” said
Henry Ward Beecher.  True friends tell each other everything, even
faults.  It is helpful to the relationship if they are truthful, that way the
friend can fix whatever is wrong.  In conclusion, truthful friends make
for a better relationship.
The 4-Way Test also supplements trust through the truth and listen-
ing.  For example, David Hume once said, “Truth springs from an ar-
gument amongst friends.”  If a dispute arises with a friend, eventually
the truth will start to show.  Arguments usually include what people
don’t like about each other and that must mean the truth.  For in-
stance, Rachel Naomi Remen once stated,  “The most basic and
powerful way to connect to another person is to listen.  Just  listen.
Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our at-
tention…A loving silence often has far more power to heal and to con-
nect than the most well-intentioned words.”  If one just listens to their
friend it will show that they want to hear what the friend has to say.
Silence shows that there is a desire for a better friendship.  Therefore,
if one is to aspire for a better relationship, they need to speak the
truth and hear what the other person has to say. to them so they can
fix it.
If a friend is being gossiped about or insulted by others, this test will
help.  To begin with, Ecclesiastes 6:14 states, “A faithful friend is a
strong defense; and he that hath found such a one hath found a treasure.”

Friends who are very allegiant will stand up for you in a
bad situation.  If they are true friends they will not have to question if
they are doing the right thing. Similarly, as in a personal experience of
mine, a person once came up to me when I was younger and insulted
me saying that I had something wrong with me, but my friend stepped
in and told him that he was rude to say that.  Even when I was being
insulted, she did not just stand there and watch, she actually did
something about it.  From then on our friendship has been abiding.
Henceforth, true friends will assist you in your times of trouble.
As a result, although friendships require many things to make them
a lasting correspondence, if you desire to have a better relationship
with someone, you will apply the 4-Way Test to your life and you will
have surpassing friendships.  The 4-Way Test can help in many dif-
ferent ways to build up friendships and trust.  Don’t wait to be a better
friend.  “The most I can do for my friend is simply to be his friend.  I
have no wealth to bestow on him.  If he knows that I am happy in lov-
ing him, he will want no other reward.  Is not friendship divine in this?”
Henry David Thoreau.

The Four Way Test and Me

Rotary Club of Pismo Beach / Five Cities
Kara Scott, Third Place
Grade 11, High School Division
Mrs. Hoover , Arroyo Grande High School

To be honest, I have never even heard of the Four Way Test. About
three days ago my literature teacher assigned the class an essay on
it. It was a mandatory assignment that I didn’t even plan on writing. I
have always questioned my actions, of course, but never in this way.
How was I supposed to write a past experience on something that
never happened? I wasn’t going to make it up, and I’m not a very
good writer. I just figured I would get an alternate assignment or
something, until last night. I was put in the perfect position to put
these questions to use.
I am sixteen years old and I usually consider myself to be a fairly
responsible person. I wasn’t getting along with my mother last night
and I was feeling trapped. I needed to get out. A couple of guys
called me and invited me to a party. Now, I’ve never really been the
partying type, but when I realized that nothing exciting was going to
happen that night, I accepted the invitation. Once we got there, a
dark-haired girl introduced herself. Her name was Jennifer. I shook
her hand and told her that it was nice to meet her. She immediately
asked for my ID. Nervously, I informed her that I didn’t have it on me.
I told her she had nothing to worry about and that I was definitely
eighteen. All I wanted was to have a good time, yet I felt very low and
disgusted in myself for lying to her.
I asked myself, “Is this the truth?” No, I’m sixteen years old and I’m
a junior in high school. I get good grades and I do my chores. I
wouldn’t be caught dead at a party, but I couldn’t tell her that. She
handed me a cold beer out of the bathtub, which had been filled with
ice and a couple of twenty four packs. I started to drink it, though I
hated the dry, tart taste. Then I questioned myself again, “Is this fair
to all concerned?” Of course not, I am a minor at a party with people
over the age of twenty-one who I have never even seen before. I was
putting not only myself in a bad position, but everyone else also.
Then, a guy that was at least six years older that I am, sat by me. At
first, he asked me to do things I wasn’t comfortable with, but I wasn’t
paying attention so he started telling me. I assured him that I didn’t
want to. He kicked everyone out of the house and told me to dance
for him. I said no countless amount of times, but he insisted. He
yelled at me, and asked me why I even came. He wouldn’t leave me
alone, and then he pulled me off the couch to make me dance. I sat
back down and thought, Would it build good will and better friend-
ships?” No, the only kind of person you are going to meet at a place
like that is somebody you don’t need to.

Finally, I got up, but not to dance. I grabbed my cell phone so I could
ask my boyfriend to come get me, though I knew he’d be disap-
pointed. The man took my phone and wouldn’t let me leave. I
pushed him back, pulled my phone out of his hands, and headed for
the door. He tried to grab me, so I yanked my arm back and hit my
elbow on the wall behind me. I opened the door as fast as I could
and slammed it shut as I stormed out. As I walked away, I knew ex-
actly the kinds of things he was saying about me. I sat on the curb
out front, where I could still hear the shaky sound of his intoxicated
voice, and the bass of the stereo in the background, shaking the win-
dows of the house. The music was so loud I almost couldn’t hear
myself think. I slid my phone open to dial my boyfriend’s number
when I remembered something. I still had one question left. I picked
at the rubber on the bottom of my shoe and I thought, “Is this benefi-
cial to all concerned?” Yes, there was no doubt in my mind. I knew
at that moment that I needed to do at least one thing right for the
night. I dialed the number as fast as I could until I heard his worried
voice on the other line. I waited in the cold, midnight breeze when he
pulled up in the driveway. I didn’t tell him what happened, and he
didn’t ask. He knew I didn’t want to discuss it. As I got out of the car,
I kissed him and told him how much I appreciated it. I snuck inside
and slid into my bed. I was disappointed with myself, but I learned
from my mistake. I woke up this morning feeling nauseous, but I
couldn’t miss the bus. I drug myself out of bed and threw on some
clean clothes. Now I’m sitting here, as tired as ever, writing this es-
say in Saturday school, a well deserved punishment.