Constitution essay winners
Pasco County fifth-graders who entered the eighth annual Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller Constitution Essay Contest drew inspiration from culture and history.
Lucy Butler, from Bexley Elementary School, earned top honors in the contest by penning an inspired fan letter to the United States founding document.
Part of Lucy’s essay read: “The U.S. Constitution protects the rights of American citizens. In our country, the government does not hold us back from being free. We can say or write what we want (unless it’s plagiarism), we can choose our religion, and we can protest things that aren’t fair…”
Lucy also backed up her research with a shout-out to the musical “Hamilton,” and Federalist Papers co-authors James Madison and John Jay. She made arguments for the Constitution that resonate with her today.
She wrote, “‘Hamilton’ is my favorite musical, but before I was introduced to it, I really didn’t think about the U.S. Constitution.”
One of the judges wrote that Butler’s introduction paragraph was “interesting and conversational,” and it immediately pulled the reader in.
Essays by Oakstead Elementary 10-year-olds Derek Knoedler and Bethany Fissehaye claimed second and third place, respectively.
Derek extolled the virtues of the Constitution’s “building blocks of our governing system,” creating “checks and balances to ensure that no one has too much power.”
For Bethany, the Constitution is personal. She notes the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote, and the 13th Amendment abolished slavery. She wrote, “No more African Americans like me must live in such a terrible way.”
The essays that were recognized with honorable mentions were submitted by Saksham Batra, Henry Perez, Heidi Keck, Alyssa Kasubinski, Dequrez Gulley Jr., Kayla Golden and Ashley Parenton.
Pasco Clerk & Comptroller Nikki Alvarez-Sowles said, “Congratulations to all who entered in this extremely difficult year. The courage of so many young people choosing to write and compete when so much seems at loose ends, gives me confidence that the rock of our republic – the Constitution – will make sure we endure.”
Leadership webinar
Saint Leo University’s Tapia College of Business will present a free virtual Leadership Re-Imagined Webinar on Dec. 3 at 7 p.m., entitled “Finding Strategic Flexibility to Power Through the Pandemic and Beyond,” to assist small businesses.
The discussion will take a closer look at how businesses are thinking and acting differently, and why flexibility is an indispensable mindset.
The guest speakers will be Dr. Drew Gold, associate professor of management for the Tapia College of Business, and Brian Quinn, chief development officer for Domio Inc.
To register, visit www.SaintLeo.edu/business-events.
For information, email Kim Bulmanski at .
College essay tips
The Pasco County Library Cooperative will host a live event, “College Essays for Teens,” on Dec. 4 at 4 p.m., to discuss the best tips and methods to writing college essays.
The program is for teens in grades eight to 12. There will be a Q&A session after the presentation.
Registration is required. Zoom meeting details will be sent out the day before the event.
For information, call Amaris Papadopoulos at (727) 861-3020.
Health program accepts Pepin
Amidst an unprecedented school year, Pepin Academies hopes to stay one step ahead of illness, helping to stop the spread and keeping more kids healthy with the help of Kinsa smart thermometers, according to a Pepin news release.
As one of the schools accepted into the Lysol + Kinsa FLUency health program, all Pepin Academies families will receive free Kinsa smart thermometers, and will be able to see aggregate, anonymous information on any symptoms and illnesses going around the school.
“This school year is unlike any other, as our nation continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic and its widespread impact,” said Inder Singh, Kinsa founder and CEO. “Never has the need for real-time insights been greater, empowering schools to make data-driven decisions to keep their students healthy and learning. We’re excited to work with Lysol again to bring the free FLUency program to thousands of schools to help provide these insights.”
The FLUency program, now in its sixth year, will help nearly 350,000 families this year across almost 4,000 schools in the United States and Canada.
“The health and well-being of our students and teachers is our top priority, while continuing to support learning and education,” said Catherine Hernandez, registered school nurse for Pepin Academies Tampa. “We are grateful to be part of this innovative program, giving us a look at the trends affecting our classrooms.”
‘Type’ capsule contest
The Pasco County Library Cooperative is sponsoring a 2020 “Type Capsule” Essay Contest through Dec. 31, for grades three to five.
Because 2020 has been a historic year, students are asked to answer this question: “If you made a time capsule, what would you want to share about the year with future generations?”
The essay can discuss something the child experienced during 2020 and explain why it is worth remembering.
Submission deadline is 11:59 p.m., on Dec. 31.
Third-graders should write at least three paragraphs; fourth-graders, four paragraphs; and fifth-graders, five paragraphs.
Essays should not be more than three pages of writing. The student also can include images, but the images must be on separate pages from the writing itself.
For more details and guidelines, visit PascoLibraries.evanced.info/signup.
Fish art contest
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), in partnership with Wildlife Forever, will host the Florida State Fish Art Contest.
Students in kindergarten through 12th grade can compete in the free contest for a chance to win state and national honors, and prizes. The program is designed to inspire creativity, while encouraging the next generation of anglers and conservationists.
Florida winners will be selected by the FWC in four grade categories: kindergarten through third grade; fourth through sixth grade; seventh through ninth grade; and 10th through 12th grade.
State winners will advance to the national competition to be judged for top prizes, such as Best of Show.
To enter, students should submit their entry consisting of the following:
- An original horizontal 9-inch by 12-inch piece of artwork featuring any fish from the Official Fish List
- A piece of creative writing, no longer than one page, about the chosen species (required for grades four to 12)
- A Florida State Fish Art Contest entry form
The deadline to enter is March 31.
Participants can mail entries to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Attn: Laura Rambo, Florida Fish Art Contest, 620 S. Meridian St., Tallahassee, FL 32301.
Entrants also can submit photos or a scanned copy of the entry to .
For complete contest information, entry forms and the Fish On! Lesson Plan, visit StateFishArt.org.
