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Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesWINNERS OF JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL ESSAY CONTEST

WINNERS OF JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL ESSAY CONTEST

First Prize
Aquanette Brown
Sts. Peter & Paul School
"How Your Personal Decisions About Sex, Violence, and Education Affect You"
Introduction
In today's society teenagers are faced with social problems such as respect for themselves and others, drugs, teen pregnancy, bad influences, and peer pressure. In such cases as these, responsibility is required. Making wrong decisions could hurt your future success. Positive thoughts will help increase your chances of being successful in life, but negativity may decrease your chances of being successful. Even though everyone is not perfect, we must strive for excellence. To achieve your goals in life you must not limit yourself, but pursue higher endeavors.
Sex
It is evident that sex is ruining the lives of teens and their children. Teenagers who are pregnant are likely to become dropouts, welfare recipients, have jobs paying minimum wage, be single parents, and are likely to become pregnant again. I would personally avoid having boyfriends at a young age and wait until I have reached a mature level of adulthood where I can make decisions to choose the correct partner for marriage. This is my suggestion to help prevent teen pregnancy. Sex at a young age could affect your future success.
Violence
Violence in a situation can be caused by anger, hate, jealousy, greed, and selfishness just to name a few. I take this issue very seriously. If I choose to act out violent behaviors, the future consequences could result in jail, death, or disability. Violence is also caused by intoxication or bad influences. Violence doesn't only hurt yourself, but your family, friends and others. To prevent this from happening to you, you should learn how to love and respect others, become involved in community service, join after, school activities, and stay away from bad influences. So you saw in the previous writing how violence can occur, result, and how to prevent it.
Education
Education is the key to success. With an education you can have a good job with a high salary, a better lifestyle, self-empowerment, and knowledge of how to successfully survive in the world we are living in today. Completing elementary school, high school and college would probably be the best choice of your life. I plan to complete all the grade levels. I also plan to have a positive future ahead of me. I will take advantage of it. Someday I might become a role model for those who follow. Living without an appropriate education doesn't get you anywhere in life. Education is required in all aspects of life in order to survive in this world today.
Conclusion
Your decisions about sex, violence, and education can drastically affect your future. One must always think optimistically in today's society. I have given you my opinions on sex, violence, and education. Your future depends on how prudently you make your decisions now.
Lia Ortiz
Sts. Peter and Paul School
"My Future Decisions!!"
My future personal decisions about sex, violence, and education will be based on the way I was brought up: my family values, religious beliefs and my own feelings on what is right and wrong. I have been taught that sex is an act of love shared by married couples. My own decision on sex is to wait until marriage. In today's society, with the threat of AIDS and many other sexually transmitted diseases, the fear alone would make me think twice.
In regards to acts of violence, our family has been a recent victim of the violence of robbery as we slept. It invaded our privacy. We lost many personal and irreplaceable items that were so dear to us. Our security was violated, and so now we are afraid even in our own home that was supposed to be our "haven of safety". I know the feeling of hurt and loss and I would never want anyone to feel what I feel, so I would never commit an act of violence either against people or their property. Today, so many of our teenagers are killing each other and performing violent acts against their peers that it is frightening. This violence in our community has become a major problem. The solution begins in our homes and parents having control over their children's actions. There is a prayer in my room that says, "Children Learn What They Live," so all our lives depend on what we learn at home, from our parents and other family members.
Lastly, my parents, grandparents and other relatives, as well as my brother, sisters, and myself have and are attending Catholic School. I have learned that education is the key to our future and success. I don't always try as hard as I should in school, but I know in my heart that without a good education I cannot get very far in life. My dream is to join the Navy or Air Force after graduation and make something of myself so my parents will be proud of me.
I believe that my future will be affected by the choices I make in terms of sex, education, and violence. I'm a person who doesn't care much about sex. 1, for one, have my future planned out. My plans are to finish my schooling, get a decent job, and get married. After I'm married, is when I'll, wonder about having sex and a child or children. My reason for this is because some people have sex at an early age, such as sixteen or seventeen years old. By having a child at an early age my life would be held back. I wouldn't be able to follow my plans and goals for success in life.
I also feel that my future will be affected by my education. My reason for this belief is that if I quit school now, I wouldn't have many achievements to look forward to in life. I plan to become a cosmetologist, and without the proper education there is no way that I will be successful. If I don't excel in becoming a cosmetologist, I always have a back up plan, which is to become a chef if. I do want to become a chef, l would still need to go to culinary school. An education is needed in all matters. So, I plan to do my best in school and in the future to accomplish my goals.
I believe my decisions about violence could affect my future in various ways. For instance, if I choose to follow the wrong path in the crossroads of life, it may lead me into great danger. Violence is a major controversial issue in the government and in politics. I would end up in 'ail sooner or later if I get involved with someone or something that would cause me to get there. A criminal record does not look good on anyone's resume' or job application. Even though I am young, I have some knowledge of, "What goes around comes around." I truly feel that my decisions concerning sex, education, and violence will affect my future. With intelligent decisions I know that I will succeed in life.
Third Prize
Artra Watlington
Sts. Peter and Paul School
Seven – One
Mrs. Judith Ritter
The decisions I make about sex, violence, and education will affect my future greatly and I will explain that in the paragraph below. The decisions that I make in my life will determine whether my future is successful or unsuccessful.
I have strong feelings about sex that are very important. If I have sex anytime before I finish my full education, it may limit my career opportunities among other things.
My decision about violence is one that I am taking very seriously. Violence is dangerous to the human race and right now it is killing humans beings, hour by hour and day by day. The young and innocent people of today are usually the victims of violence. Violence is not needed in the world. God created the earth without guns, swords, knives, and other weapons. Envious and jealous people use weapons to commit violent acts because of temptations. People, who cannot make a good life, commit violence. They do not have a good life because they did not make good decisions.
My education is very precious to me. I feel privileged to be getting such a great education. Understanding my lessons and putting them into synch with the rest of my life gives me the power to know that I will strive for the best.
Sex,
violence, and education are very, very important in a teenager's life. Teenagers have a lot to think about as this tender age. Making the right decisions in life is something teenagers should be focusing on a lot. If teenagers do not make the right decisions now they will suffer great consequences. Some consequences include deadly diseases (AIDS/HIV), prison, and poverty. Teenagers should not have to suffer because they are needed in the community to be future leaders. Teenagers are usually tempted and feel forced to do things like having sex and committing violent acts. This kind of temptation is called peer pressure. Teenage hormones also start to act up and tempt them to have sex. We must all try to control our hormones and not let them control us.
Decisions about education can also be a result of peer pressure. Because of sex and violence, some students are not able to have a full education. Education is needed in life. So, make sure you finish school or you will regret it.
I will have to live with and accept the decisions I make about these subjects. I pledge to make decisions that will make my life healthy and safe from harm. The decisions that I make now will affect the well-being of my future life and family. I cannot predict what my future will be like, but I will strive to make the best decisions for it to be a perfect one. I also challenge all young people to work hard, make the right choices, and have faith in God and ourselves so, we all can live in peace!

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