Essay Contest Winners – The Rotary Club of Mechanicsburg North

The Rotary Club of Mechanicsburg North\District 7390

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

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

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.

The Rotary Four-Way Test

The Rotary Club of Mechanicsburg North\District 7390
John F. M. Kocsis, Second Place
Grade 9, Cumberland Valley High School
Teacher:  Brian Martin

The Rotary Four-Way Test is one of the most important business ideals of the 20th century.  Since being established 75 years ago by Herbert Taylor during the Great Depression, the Four-Way Test has not only become an institution for Rotarians everywhere, but also for many successful businesses throughout the world.  Even though the Four-Way Test was created for use in the professional world, I personally feel that this evaluation can certainly be applied to my daily life.
When I first heard about the Four-Way Test, I immediately thought about my participation in one specific activity, and the process I went through deciding whether or not to join.  I am currently a member of the United Way Youth Allocation Panel which allows me to be very active in the community.  In this program, students from high schools across Central Pennsylvania raise money and subsequently decide which organizations will receive the funds and different grants.  I was very proud to be selected for this organization.  I was the first freshman and only member from Cumberland Valley on the panel this fall when it resumed for the year.  When approached and asked to join, I mentally went through a process similar to the Four-Way Test.

What exactly is the Four-Way Test?  It is quite straightforward, which is probably the most ingenious aspect of it.  The Four-Way Test is based off of four simple questions, all of which have meaning in the world today.  The first question asks, “is it the truth?”   I believe that in order for a business to be truly professional, it must not have any fraudulence.  In the business world, nothing is more important than whether or not information is fact.  Truth is also significant in the daily life of an individual.  Before answering a question or making an important choice in life, an individual must consider the truth.  Lying is unethical, regardless of the situation.  Subsequently, upon considering my participation of the United Way Youth Panel, I had to consider whether or not I believed in what they stood for – was it a truthful organization?   I researched it and found out that it was indeed what it claimed to be.
The second question asked by the Rotary’s test requires justice and equality.  It asks, “is it fair to all concerned?”   Like the previous question, this one is imperative to a professional community.  Businesses are generally considered to be cutthroat, something that may or may not be a stereotype.  Taylor’s second question helps prevent scandals, such as those prevalent in the depression era.  Fairness also has meaning to the average person.  When making a decision or forming an opinion, it is important to consider whether or not it is fair to all involved, especially in this age of awareness and tolerance.  What kind of place would this world become if no one thought of the good of mankind before acting?  If every man, woman and child was selfish, our planet could not survive.  We have to promote good will and fairness for all humanity, which was created to be equal.  Everyone deserves to have the opportunity for equality.  In the same vain, I had to consider whether or not I believed the United Way was an organization that was fair.  Different groups come to the organization, stating why they should receive grant money.  The organization then decides how the money is allocated .  My research indicated that the process included information and discussion, which seemed extremely fair to me.

I also had to consider the group that would be making the decisions.  In respect to the individuals forming the panel and those groups that were soliciting funds, I considered the concept of good will.  My thought process mirrored that in the third question:  “will it build good will and better friendships?”   On the surface, it may seem like a question that has little or nothing to do with ethics, but rather the betterment of oneself.  Some may take it as a way to increase relations that will result in more unfair and despicable ways of commerce.  Despite the way it appears, this is truly a moral issue.  If one thinks about it clearly, it makes sense.  If something does not build good will and better relations, how could it possibly improve the state of the world?  We have to use community service to promote altruism in our communities, in the country and all over our planet.  If we help others, friendships will result and the world will become increasingly more peaceful.   In considering the United Way, I realized that it was a way to meet other young people from other schools, also concerned with the community.  Additionally, it promotes relations with members of other service associations that ask for money.  Ultimately, good amity is formed between the program and different establishments where funds and awareness are both raised.

That brings me to the final question posed by the test:  This question may be the most significant of them all.  “Will it be beneficial to all concerned?”  The idea obviates the idea of collaboration and tries to put an end to lopsided proposals.  Of course, when I mention collaboration, I mean it in the sense of working together as a way to blackball other sides, not as cooperation between two parties.  In this sense of the term, collaboration is a terrible thing, and I believe the third question does its best to prevent that from ever happening.  This, too, has implications in the daily lives of laypeople.  For example, cheating may or may not be beneficial to the perpetrator, but can seriously harm the reputation and trustworthiness of the collaborator.  We need to consider the future and how our words and actions will affect the progress of the human race.  Did I consider this United Way program to be beneficial to those concerned?  The answer is a resounding yes.  The money goes to great causes.  Not only do the places who get the allocation benefit, but the panel members gain experience as active members of their community, helping them evolve as positive leaders for the future.

The United Way Youth Allocation Panel definitely passes the Rotary’s Four-Way Test as they continue to work diligently servicing the community.  In applying the values of the test, I am again glad that I was approached and that I said yes.  I am proud to be part of this wonderful service organization and I have already begun recruiting new members.

Rotary International is another service organization that prides itself in its volunteerism and community service.  When Taylor invented the Four-Way Test in 1932, he had no intention of using it in this way.  On the contrary, he used it as a way to revive his struggling business.  He could not have known how momentous it would become in the field of ethics.  Taylor lived during America’s hardest times, the Great Depression, when scandals dominated the country.  Taylor, however, was not corrupt, like so many others during this troubled time.  He used his professional-minded approach to develop a standard of compliance for business decisions.  His approach began as a 100 word statement that was reduced to a seven question test, and then further condensed until it became the current Four-Way Test.

My experience in considering the United Way Youth Allocation Panel was not the first time I used the principles of the Four-Way Test, nor will it be the last.  I plan to use the Four-Way Test to make many important decisions in the future.  Obviously, as a member of the panel, I will be making many allocation decisions over the next four years.  I will remember these ideals and  I will evaluate each service application and decide whether or not it fits Taylor’s criteria.  If it does not, I will make sure that the funds go to a different service that is maybe more fair and is beneficial to everyone.  Additionally, I plan to apply these principles to my other club involvements as well.

I am very pleased that I was given the opportunity to do research on the Rotary Clubs and the Four-Way Test.  It allowed me a chance to reflect on my own personal values, and provided me with a tool to use for making important decisions.  It provided me with an excellent asset that I can utilize to help the community.  From this point in my life onward, I am sure I will remember Taylor’s famous test.  I greatly admire Herbert Taylor and am grateful for his philosophy.   His method can be used by people everywhere to prevent the world to become as scandalous as it was during Taylor’s lifetime. I look forward to utilizing the Four-Way Test for a positive impact on my future decisions.