STUDENT VOICES
Rotarians partnered with The Sanibel School to host an essay contest for eighth-graders, an opportunity for young bright minds to share their perspective on the world. The winners focused on mental health and safety issues.
e Rotary Club of Sanibel-Captiva partnered with e Sanibel School to host an essay contest challenging eighth-graders to write about solutions to problems that are important to them. Meet the winners and read their essays.
The Rotary Club of SanibelCaptiva is driven by its mission to connect with the local community, provide opportunities for enrichment, and promote ideals of integrity and ethics through service. In keeping with that, the club partnered with The Sanibel School last fall to host an essay contest challenging eighth-grade students to write about meaningful solutions to problems that are important to them.
At the heart of the contest is Rotary’s 4-Way Test: “Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned?” According to Chet Sadler, club secretary and chairman of the District 4-Way Test Essay Committee, the test is “the foundation of what Rotary is.” It is recited at every meeting and, for members such as Sadler, it reflects Rotary’s strong values and mission.
In the essays, students used the 4-Way Test as a framework to tackle problems they or community members face. The top three essays, which are printed here, were chosen based on criteria evaluating each student’s understanding and presentation of the test; description of the problem; and proposals for effective solutions. In February, the club hosted the winners, awarding $100 to the firstplace winner, $50 for second place and $25 for third.
A common theme in the three essays is mental health and safety. First-place winner Lydia Whalen’s essay is about pervasive mental health problems among youth. She recommends creating resources, such as a website or peer counseling programs, to offer support and care for young members of the community. Maya Brennan, second-place winner, writes about mental health in the context of school shootings. Third-place winner Mara Lodwick focuses on how to mitigate the impact of peer pressure.
Sanibel School language arts teacher Jon Martin helped facilitate the contest. He posits that the eighth-grade curriculum, which focuses on current events, media and non-fiction reading, educated students about local and national problems, and aided them in picking a topic.
He presumes mental health problems are an “underlying current that they see in society right now.”
The contest grants students an opportunity for academic enrichment, and offers Rotarians and community members insight into how students perceive the world. Sadler notes, “When you read the essays, it gives you a look into what [the students’] interests are and what is important to them.” He calls the essays, and students’ maturity incorporating the values of the 4-Way Test into their analysis of real-world issues, “truly unbelievable.”
The contest grants students an opportunity for academic enrichment, and offers Rotarians and community members insight into how students perceive the world.