When the Laws of Life State Awards Banquet at Villa Milano concluded on April 25, two Genoa Middle School students walked away with cash prizes. Seventh grader Madison Seabury and eighth grader Megan Haller were honored at the gathering, where keynote speaker Clarence Mingo, Franklin County Auditor, spoke passionately about the importance of character.
Seabury won the $150 award for Best Female Essay, Middle School Division, for her paper that addressed the adage, “If at first you try but don’t succeed, try, try again.” She wrote, “When at first you don’t succeed (because you will not always be successful), try, and try, and try until you do.” Her teacher is Mary Jo Balk.
Haller was awarded $100 for her essay that addressed this year’s theme, Tact. She wrote, “I consider tact to be the finest policy of all because it can make the difference in a relationship; like Samuel Butler once said, ‘It is tact that it golden, not silence.’” Brandy Spears is her teacher.
The Gifted Education Department at Westerville City Schools coordinated the Laws of Life essay contest for middle school students in the district.
The Laws of Life was started by Sir John Templeton in 1987. The state contest in Ohio is sponsored by the BBB through Ohio Partners in Character Education. OPCE is a non-profit organization affiliated with the Better Business Bureau Education Foundation Center for Character Ethics dedicated to promoting and facilitating the development and implementation of character education programs in Ohio schools and communities. The Laws of Life program is approved by the National Association of Secondary Principals Association.