At a recent meeting of the Rotary Club of Peachtree City students from the sixth, seventh and eighth grades of J.C. Booth Middle School were recognized and awarded cash prizes for their award-winning essays submitted for the Laws of Life essay contest.
The Laws of Life Essay Contest was originally started as a high school project by the John Templeton Foundation in 1987. It was introduced to Booth Middle School in 2001/02 by the Rotary Club as part of the club’s partnership in education with the school.
John Templeton, noted financier and philanthropist, believed there was a set of rules, ideals and principles he called “the “laws of life” that should guide one in living a full and joyous existence. Those included love, gratitude, generosity, honesty, integrity, positive thinking, reliability, perseverance, forgiveness and others. The contest provides an opportunity for young people to declare their values in their own words and their own stories.
For schools, the contest offers an effective and easy method to implement character education in young students.
For the club members who read the essays selected for consideration by their teachers, the contest offers an opportunity of honoring and recognizing young people for taking a stand on what they believe in. The essays also provide insight into the lives of students and their situations that are at times reflected in the topic of their laws of life essay.
Pictured are Cailey Hardman, Dane Kinamon, Jacob Brachey, Alisha Zamore, Kenna Barkoot, Nicole Turner, Gabe Cherniske, Chandler Witucki and Abby Burke along with Rotarian Ronnie Ross (L) and Club President Jeff Warlick (R). Photo/Special.
