This is the 4th year that Bainbridge High School has participated in the Georgia Laws of Life Essay Contest sponsored by the Bainbridge Rotary Club.

The contest is open to students in grades 9-12 and the grade winners and school winner presented their essays recently at the weekly Rotary meeting.

Introducing the program, Dr. Don Robinson stated "the Laws of Life are tools that allow us to link into the hears of theses students. They tell us about the inside as opposed to the outside which is what the teachers often see." Jeanine Halada is the co-coordinator for the program.

Ms. Halada, an English teacher at Bainbridge High School stated that 1167 Bainbridge High School students participated in this years contest.  "The Laws of Life Essay Contest challenges young people of all ages to discover for themselves the values that will guide them throughout life" she stated. "The students wrote essays about life lessons they have learned, whether those lessons were dramatic, traumatic, uplifting, the gift or giving and many others.  The point is our students share with us some of their most personal moments and we, in turn, are reminded to be a little more compassionate."

She stated that the Georgia Laws of Life Essay Contest is helping schools, families, and communities to focus young people on their values and then publicly recognize them for committing their principles to writing - in the hope that this powerful experience will encourage young people to live according to their laws of life.  "I know that reading these essays this year helped me get back in touch with my compassion and reminded me of some of the paths on which these kids have to walk.  It helped me to try to remember to "walk in their shoes" some of the time."

"This contest is special because the program emphasizes reflection and writing. The contest encourages students to think about the people and experiences that have helped to shape their values. It challenges them to take a stand for what     they believe in." Ms Halada continued, "Unlike most essay contests, this contest doesn't tell young people what to write about. There is no prescribed topic students have to address. They just have to write from the heart."

She stated that sometimes parents, teachers and other adults, forget that students deal with many things, " outside of the boundaries of these school walls and that the shoes they fill walk some incredible journeys."

This year's grade winners are:
9th Grade Winner: Austin Spooner,
Maxim: "Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country." President John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963 Former American President
Character Trait:  Determination
Essay title 'Helping Make History Happen'   See Essay

10th Grade and School Winner: Ashley Ellison
Maxim:Letting go doesn't mean giving up, but rather accepting the fact that some things cannot be.  Anonymous
Character Trait: Sadness  
Essay title 'Letting Go'   See Essay

11th Grade Winner: Allison Webb
Maxim:  We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.
Essay title 'Cards of Life'   See Essay

12th Grade Winner: Kayla Hurley
Maxim: "Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times you grow. Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons." -Unknown
Character Trait: Thankfulness
Essay Title 'A Lesson in Disguise'   See Essay