2007 First Place Winner: Amanda Podbelsek
Learn more about the "Literary Contest"
Amanda Likes to read and is active in tennis, basketball, and softball. She is also a member of Math Club and The National Honor Society. Amanda plans to attend college after graduation and major in civil engineering with a minor in math.
Amanda chose "The Fork and Spoon Club" as her subject...which is one of my personal favorites. To quote Amanda, "My attention was first drawn to the two stubborn forks; they are the only pieces of silverware lying the opposite direction. As a high school student, the forks speak to me as a symbol of individuality."
Congratulations Amanda...Marsha Robinett
This is Amanda's essay...enjoy!
Students in high school have certain priorities: to have the right hair-do, to wear the name brand clothing, to follow in their sibling's flawless footsteps, and to have a date for prom. However, the main priority for most high school students is to feel accepted. One can accomplish this by being "cool", or hanging out with the popular people. Everyone goes along with one concept, one template: to be "cool" and do what is "cool". People become so committed to meeting their peer's standards and going with the flow, that they fail to even stop and question whether the decisions they are making are right. By doing what everyone else is doing, they forget to be self-reliant individuals. They no longer expresses who they really are, and in doing so do not express their individuality. Students should stop and reflect on whether they should make certain decisions just because "everyone else is doing it." By saying no to peer pressure and standing firm in one's true beliefs, one can feel proud and strong, and can say that he is a true individual.
From "The Fork and Spoon Club", one can be reminded that, "What is right is not always popular, and what is popular is not always right." Stand up for yourself. Be self-reliant, even if it means being different. Remember that by caving in to peer pressure you are surrendering your individuality. And, most importantly, be true to yourself because, in the end, that is all that really matters.
PS...make a "Point"...leave a comment.
Amanda would love to know what you think of her essay.
Learn more about the "Literary Contest"
Amanda Likes to read and is active in tennis, basketball, and softball. She is also a member of Math Club and The National Honor Society. Amanda plans to attend college after graduation and major in civil engineering with a minor in math.
Amanda chose "The Fork and Spoon Club" as her subject...which is one of my personal favorites. To quote Amanda, "My attention was first drawn to the two stubborn forks; they are the only pieces of silverware lying the opposite direction. As a high school student, the forks speak to me as a symbol of individuality."
Congratulations Amanda...Marsha Robinett
This is Amanda's essay...enjoy!
...The Fork and Spoon Club...
"The Fork and Spoon Club" by Marsha Robinett, is a particularly eye-catching work. The artist's use of lighting, depth, and lines makes the work unique and shows how the artist captures the details and beauty in ordinary objects. Also, the contrasting lines formed by the two forks in the center make an appealing contrast to the diagonal lines made by the rest of the silverware in the drawer. My attention was first drawn to the two stubborn forks; they are the only pieces of silverware lying the opposite direction. As a high school student, the two forks speak to me as a symbol of individuality.
Students in high school have certain priorities: to have the right hair-do, to wear the name brand clothing, to follow in their sibling's flawless footsteps, and to have a date for prom. However, the main priority for most high school students is to feel accepted. One can accomplish this by being "cool", or hanging out with the popular people. Everyone goes along with one concept, one template: to be "cool" and do what is "cool". People become so committed to meeting their peer's standards and going with the flow, that they fail to even stop and question whether the decisions they are making are right. By doing what everyone else is doing, they forget to be self-reliant individuals. They no longer expresses who they really are, and in doing so do not express their individuality. Students should stop and reflect on whether they should make certain decisions just because "everyone else is doing it." By saying no to peer pressure and standing firm in one's true beliefs, one can feel proud and strong, and can say that he is a true individual.
From "The Fork and Spoon Club", one can be reminded that, "What is right is not always popular, and what is popular is not always right." Stand up for yourself. Be self-reliant, even if it means being different. Remember that by caving in to peer pressure you are surrendering your individuality. And, most importantly, be true to yourself because, in the end, that is all that really matters.
PS...make a "Point"...leave a comment.
Amanda would love to know what you think of her essay.
