This year's essay topic was "Perseverance", one of the twelve character traits that have been identified by Johnston County Schools.
The Johnston County Education Foundation received 41 essays from twelve teachers in eight schools. The essays were judged by a representative of a newspaper, a law enforcement officer, and a minister.
The first place winner is Cara Satoskar of West View Elementary School. Her fifth grade teacher is Ms. Ashley Reffit.
The second place winner is Claire Tilton of East Clayton Elementary School. Her fifth grade teacher is Ms. Ginger Hill.
Each student received a check in the amount of $50.00 from the Johnston County Education Foundation. In standing with the Johnston County Education Foundation’s belief that great student growth and ability is fostered by great teachers, both teachers also received a check in the amount of $50.00.
The Barbara Clapp Character Award honors Barbara Clapp of Smithfield, N.C. The Award was initiated by Tom & Diane Houlihan in honor of Barbara's retirement and for her commitment to excellence as secretary to three Johnston County Schools superintendents. The Award is funded by designated contributions to the Barbara Clapp Character award.
Students’ essays follow
Perseverance
Perseverance means to keep trying and never give up. Perseverance is one of the most important aspects of our lives. I have experienced many examples of perseverance in my lifetime. People in history, in the past and the present, both teach us what perseverance truly means.
There are many reasons why perseverance is important. We persevere every day even if we don’t notice it. Whether it is writing a book or just reading one for school as an assignment we are persevering. To be successful you must persevere because success comes with many obstacles. Almost all things have obstacles we must overcome and if we keep facing the right direction all we have to do is keep walking and keep persevering.
We all face obstacles and we all have examples of perseverance in our lifetime. Eric Weihenmayer was the first blind man to climb Mt. McKinley. Mt. McKinley is the highest summit in North America, it is 20,320 feet. Mr. Weihenmayer had to go through deep crevices, unexpected snowstorms, temperatures 40 degrees below zero, and an occasional avalanche as he climbed. Mr. Weihenmayer is a fifth grade teacher that has had many wonderful adventures. He has hiked the Inca trail, trekked the Boltera Glacier in Pakistan, and crossed jungles in New Guinea. Even someone with a physical disability can do anything they set their mind to as long as they keep trying. Nobody trips over mountains; it is a small pebble that causes you to stumble. Pass all the pebbles in your path and you will find you have crossed the mountains.
To become successful you must persevere. Everyone, past or present, has or is persevering through life. Bill Gates is one of the richest men in the world; he had to set goals to get there and persevere to accomplish his goals. Thomas Edison was the inventor of the light bulb. Thomas had hundreds of failures, but he never stopped trying. We use the light bulb every day. What if he had stopped trying, we would be doing our school work by candle light. Edison once said that his tries weren’t failures; they were just ways not to do it. We must have this same attitude as we face obstacles in our own lives.
Perseverance is the key to life. To be successful you must set and accomplish your goals. All our paths are set for us, but you must make the right turns and not hit traffic. Perseverance means to keep trying and never give up; this is life’s biggest lesson.
Cara Satoskar
West View Elementary
Teacher: Ms. Ashley Reffit
Perseverance
Perseverance means never giving up and losing faith when things look bad. It also means determination, or to be determined. Perseverance is an important trait to have when working on schoolwork, or any hard, complicated task. A lot of people in history have displayed the important trait of perseverance.
HARRIET TUBMAN showed perseverance while taking the slaves out of the Confederate states. She had to persevere through all that walking and people telling her that they would never make it. Harriet’s demonstration of perseverance with the slaves eventually helped America become a slavery free country.
DR. RICK WARREN is a famous pastor, a bestselling author, and an advisor to presidents. But, he is allergic to his own body’s adrenaline. When he stood up to preach, his heart used to race uncontrollable. It took him many years to learn how to speak without getting too nervous. Warren’s perseverance helped him become a great leader and preacher.
JONI EARECKSON-TADA became a quadriplegic after diving into a shallow part of a lake as a teenager. She could have just given up, but instead she persevered and eventually taught herself how to hold a paintbrush in her mouth to paint. She earned the title “accomplished artist”. Joni also taught herself how to hold something in her mouth she could use to type with. She even began to write books. She did all this by persevering. She never gave up hope.
CLYDE TOMBAUGH was an American astronomer who persevered and eventually discovered Pluto. He said “it was brutal and tedious work”. He worked at it for months. He looked at 20 MILLION pictures. Finally, on February 18th, 1930 he found a photo of Pluto. Perseverance helped him make a wonderful discovery. (credit: Today in the Word, Nov. 26, 1930)
WILMA RUDOLF had polio as a child. She persevered through 7 years of painful therapy. While playing a basketball game, a track coach asked Wilma if he could coach her to be a runner. At 14 she could run faster than the fastest sprinters. At the Olympic Games in Rome, Wilma won 3 GOLD medals! That is the most a woman has ever gotten!!! By persevering though therapy, which helped her to become more mobile, Wilma became a superior track runner. (Today in the Word, Moody Bible Institute, January 1992 p. 10).
All of the people above have at least one thing in common, they all persevered through something. Perseverance can help you achieve something you never thought you could. If you persevere some of your dreams may come true.
Claire Tilton
East Clayton Elementary School
Teacher: Mrs. Ginger Hill
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