Wednesday, March 7, 2001
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Wednesday, March 7, 2001 |
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Booth Middle participating in Laws of Life contest As part of J.C. Booth Middle School's character education program, the English department at the school will launch a Laws of Life essay contest with the assistance of the Peachtree City Rotary Club. The Laws of Life is an international competition developed through the John Templeton Foundation to offer young people the chance to think about what they stand for. What makes the contest special is its emphasis on reflection and writing. Students write a one- to two-page essay on the type of laws that they live by, such as the laws of honesty gratitude, compassion or perseverance, to name a few examples. As participants write their essays, they must identify the laws of life that mean the most to them and explain their choices through the experiences they have had, the lessons they have learned, and the people who have served as living examples. The English department at Booth has turned the contest into an actual assignment for all English classes. After students write their essays, English teachers will select one essay from each of their classes. The winning essays from each class, estimated to be about 60, will be sent to the Peachtree City Rotary Club for judgment next Wednesday, March 14. The Rotary Club has agreed to help the school sponsor the contest by providing cash prizes for the winners at each grade level as well as hosting a luncheon for the students. The winning essays will be copied and bound for distribution among teachers, students, Rotarians and local newspapers for publication. This is a pilot program for both Booth and the Rotary Club. "We have great support from our local Rotary Club," says Sharlene Patterson, seventh grade teacher and coordinator of the contest at Booth. "We knew that we wanted to be involved in this contest, but we needed a way to fund it. The Rotary Club agreed to step in and help us." The Rotary Club will award $150 to the first place winner, second $100 and third $50. Booth Principal Lyn Wenzel says implementing the contest is benefiting the school on two levels. "This contest is helping to boost our character education program that is already in place as well as strengthen our school and community relations," explains Winzel. Patterson says that Booth would like to see other schools in the county become involved in the contest next year and partner with their local Rotary Clubs for sponsorship. She emphasizes that the contest encourages reflection and is a key component in a student's character education program. "This is such a great contest. It really encourages students to think about the ideals that mean the most to them. I would like to see all of our schools become involved so that we could have a county-wide contest," says Patterson.
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