Rotary recognizes essay contest winners
The precept of Rotary started nearly a century ago when a Chicago businessman named Herbert Taylor was looking for a way to keep his aluminum company from bankruptcy.
He created a moral code for personal and business relationships. It asks these four questions;
Is it the truth?
Is it fair to all concerned?
Will it build goodwill and better friendship?
Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
Taylor was able to turn things around.
His “Four-Way Test” was picked up by Rotary and has become a pillar of what the service organization stands for.
In Cape Coral, the Gold Coast Rotary of Cape Coral has expanded this concept by creating an essay contest for eighth graders where they explain a problem they have and solve it using the “four-way test.”
Dozens of Oasis Middle School students took part in the contest and the top three were invited to the Rotary’s weekly luncheon at Gulf Coast Village to receive their awards and to read their essays.
Dale Arvay, chairman for the contest for the Gold Coast Rotary, said he got the Oasis English department to have the youths write essays about problems they or their friends face… by themselves and not through AI.
“The kids pick a topic that is often a dilemma they’re facing in school such as bullying and CHAT GBT,” Arvay said. “We’re running into problems where kids are using that to write their essays. They use language far more advanced than what kids are using. These are gifted writers and the teachers are into what we’re doing and trying to bring out that gift.”
Sunnie Roberts-Riquelme, an eighth-grade English teacher at Oasis, said the contest is important because the four-way test can be applied to anything in life.
“It’s good for kids at this age to start understanding life with these four questions,” Roberts-Riquelme said. “These kids knocked it out of the park, and I’m so proud of them.”
This year’s winner was Aubrey Klages, who wrote about peace and kindness and how quickly rumors and lies can spread. She said rumors spread in school about many people, herself included.
“Sometimes a story can start with one person and within a few hours everyone has heard it. Many of these rumors are far from the truth and they can ruin relationships,” Klages said in her essay. “The four-way test can help us think about our actions before they come out.”
Many people don’t know what the truth really is and it can cause serious problems and misunderstanding. It certainly isn’t fair for the person being talked about as it causes embarrassment and isolation.
These rumors also destroy good will and friendships as they cause drama, mistrust and damage relationships. The only benefit comes from stopping the spread of rumors and treating people with respect and kindness.
Klages said it was amazing to be recognized for her work.
“When I first wrote it I thought it was for extra credit,” Klages said. “But I put a lot of work into it and getting to be here is amazing. I’m so happy and thankful.”
Finalists included Matthew Perez Murillo, whose second-place essay was about peer pressure, and Sophey Blusiewicz, who wrote about teen mental health, was awarded third.
For more information about the Gold Coast Rotary, go to goldcoastrotary.org.