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| Life lessons By Stacy Trevenon [ stacy@hmbreview.com ] Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 10:56 AM PDT Thursday’s Half Moon Bay Rotary Club meeting packed the Community United Methodist Church social hall with not just Rotarians but local high school principals, teachers and parents who came to hear the guiding values of area students. It was what club President Charles Nelson said he “feels is the best luncheon meeting of the year,” the club’s annual Laws of Life Essay Contest presentation. The contest asks youth to write about their personal maxims, how those evolved and how the principles guide their lives. In its third year, the contest’s entries are judged by a committee of Rotarians, and the winners read their essays and receive awards and certificates at the club’s presentation. It originated from the Pennsylvania-based John Templeton Foundation, named after philanthropist Sir John Templeton. In 1987 he founded the contest to encourage young people to write about their “laws of life,” and it spread around the world. The program invites participation from Half Moon Bay, Pilarcitos and Pescadero high schools, the Camp Glenwood juvenile facility outside La Honda, local high-schoolers and students who live locally but attend Peninsula high schools. Judging “blind” (without knowing writers’ names) and using specific criteria and mathematical formulae, the six-Rotarian committee selected first-, second- and third-place winners, and four honorable mentions, in freshman-sophomore and junior-senior divisions. The contest drew nearly 100 sometimes heart-wrenching essays. Some reflected painful personal experiences, abuse, despair, or choices that sent the young writers into incarceration — and the changes that resulted. “I don’t want to see my family cry for ludicrous incidents that I did. They shouldn’t have to go through the phase of the “could of’s and should of’s,” wrote one student. “Now with the years gone by and life more grand and filled with opportunities, my plan of action is to love and care for the people nearest and dearest to my heart.” “There wasn’t a dry eye in the house,” said Rotarian Kevin O’Brien of that essay. Others offered tributes to family, revelations, buoyant spirit and life-affirming ideals. “They were very eye-opening. What are youth really thinking?” said Rotarian and contest committee member John Traversaro. “I saw a lot of emphasis on family — nearly all the Camp Glenwood boys (wrote) that — all very heart-warming.” Several essays recounted pivotal moments. “Part of the reason I’m so excited about it is, in some cases, seeing people in the midst of a hairpin curve as they’re turning their lives around,” said Nelson. The winners were: Lower division: First, untitled, Ava Vakili, Half Moon Bay High; second, “Life is Beautiful,” Isabel Guzmán, Pescadero High School; third, “Laws of Life,” Yesenia Mendez Amaya, Pescadero High; honorable mentions: “Laws of Life,” Alyssa Bretz, Half Moon Bay High; “Great Awakening,” Denmark, Camp Glenwood; “One Will,” Samantha Hamilton, Half Moon Bay High; “Dear Newborn,” Clodagh Marie Hussey, Pescadero High. Upper division: First, “Zen — 509,” Sean Reamann, Pilarcitos High; second, “My Canary in the Coal Mine,” Spencer, Camp Glenwood; third, untitled, Anna Kennedy, Half Moon Bay High; honorable mentions: “To Be: Laws of Life Essay,” Max Hampton, Half Moon Bay High; “Laws of Life,” Elena Scheer, Pescadero High; “Laws of Life Essay,” Lyja Stadlen-Brown, Half Moon Bay High; “My Laws of Life,” Lauren Virgen, Half Moon Bay High. “I was impressed with how thoughtful the essays were,” said Pescadero High principal Amy Wooliever. “How much they thought about how to live life and how reflective they were about their own lives.” Also present was San Mateo County Office of Education Deputy Superintendent Karen Philip, who said she plans a presentation on the event for her office’s board of trustees in early June. “It was so inspiring to see students who turned their lives around, made wonderful choices and see their potential,” she said. Review staff writer — and Rotarian — Stacy Trevenon was instrumental in bringing “Laws of Life” to the coast in 2006. She coordinated the program this year. A Zen influence Excerpts from upper-division first-place essay, “Zen-509” by Pilarcitos High School student Sean Reamann, read: “Thousands of miles away, there swirls a tiny insignificant snowflake high in the frozen peaks. It holds all the world’s splendors, it could melt into pools of water to drown the drought, its chill could freeze global warming in its tracks, and its six points and seven edges could teach the children of the world to count. But high in the mountain caps, not a foot shall step, not one. “Handcuffs do not govern my laws of life, that is, there is nothing that binds you. My strongest law would be to keep your life in your open hands, mold and shape the little clay ball that is life and make it what you love. Skydiving or bowling, don’t hesitate. I believe the knowledge of the old and the innocence of the young and the faith they both share keeps us most human. “ ... It is any person’s right to believe in any higher being he chooses, so long as it doesn’t interfere with anyone’s unwilling time. A belief in God, Mohammed, or any other god you choose is healthy and natural. All people need something to look up to; this, I believe, is the purpose of gods and faith. “But I struggle with my final belief, or law, because I personally believe in no one god. ... The point is to have faith, not always in God. When I think of a god, I think of something I can grasp and hold in my arms, something to keep my moral spirit balanced, and a place to call home after I leave this world. “I hold no controlling laws of life, or hardened recommendations or restraints. Just try to walk off the cemented path in your life and make some footprints in the lawn, and don’t let the lanes of the road feel like brick walls. Life is like thawing ice, so many choices, and so little time. Make a snowball, a snow cone, room to ice-skate on, or cubes to chill your daily beverage. Don’t hesitate, it’s almost liquid.” Faith and family Excerpts from the first-place, lower division essay, written by Ava Vakili of Half Moon Bay High School, read: “During the current 2007-2008 school year, I have had many turning points on how I live my life, as result of the Youth Leadership Institute’s Project CAMBIOS, which stands for Coastside Alliance Against Methamphetamines: Building Information and Organizing Solutions. The goal of this group is to help prevent youth from using methamphetamine on the Coastside, and helping create positive changes in our community. “ ... The most important lesson I have learned though my experience with Youth Leadership Institute is to make educated and healthy decisions on how to live the best life that is the most conducive for me. One personal moral that I find very important is my family and culture. I am fortunate to have a family who is very open-minded and have exposed me to different cultures and colors of the world. My parents have raised me with the traditional Persian faith, Zoroastrianism, the ancient religion that dates back over 3,000 years. I feel that I have a strong connection with my faith, because of the wholesome teaching: ‘good thoughts, good words, good deeds.’ “This simple yet powerful prose, helps me through tough times, and allows me to navigate through my life in the best manner possible. The Persian community has also had a strong impact on my life, it allows me to interact with people with similar backgrounds and family because here in the United States we live in a melting pot of vivid cultures and backgrounds, and embracing our cultures is a simple role that we sometimes neglect. “ ... With a strong family support system, as well as a strong faith to fall back upon, I have become more aware and concerned about what goes on outside the classroom and in adulthood. I have learned that life is a learning experience, and without experiencing it, you cannot live.” |