Laws For Life 2021
On Tuesday, April 20, 2021, the Rotary Club of Meriwether County hosted the Georgia Rotary Clubs Laws of Life Essay Contest winners. At the meeting, the Rotary Club presented the local school and grade winners for the 2020-2021 contest. Rotary Club of Meriwether County partners with Greenville High School for the contest "Every Student Matters, Every Moment Counts," commented School Principal Mr. Thaddeus Jackson and Department Contest Chair Patissia Childs. Andrey Ferrell, 10th grade, is named School Winner, and Za'niya Partridge, 11th grade, is the Grade Winner. Honorable Mention of student writers includes Diamond Slaton, 12th grade, Rebecca Bryan, 12th grade, Amantavious Ogletree, 11th grade, Tymeshia Mitchell, 11th grade, Amelia Phillips, 10th grade, Kailyn Bynum, 10th grade, Gage Manship, 10th grade, and Tanyja Sessions, 9th grade. Rotary Club of Meriwether County has partnered with Greenville High School on the contest for two years. "Strive for progress because perfection is hard to improve," said Patissia Childs, who serves as contest chair for the club. For the 2020-2021 contest, a total of 25,112 students wrote essays. Georgia Laws of Life and 48 participating Rotary clubs throughout the state awarded over $17,000 in cash prizes. Awards go to 135 school winners and grade winners from 48 high schools. Additional students receive honorable mention recognition. Throughout the spring, winning students will share their essays to enthusiastic audiences at local and district-wide Rotary Club meetings and regional Rotary conferences. Georgia Laws of Life will also feature in social media, winning students reading their essays. Rotary clubs across Georgia conduct the Laws of Life Essay Contest in partnership with local high schools through the nonprofit Georgia Rotary Districts Character Education Program, Inc (GRDCEP). Rotarians volunteer to read and judge essays, serve on the contest's Board of Directors, and volunteer their professional expertise to help build character and ethical literacy among students. "The essay contest is an opportunity for Rotary clubs to share their service above self motto with local students and schools," said Carol Gray Walker, Executive Director for Georgia Laws of Life. Since 1999, the Georgia Laws of Life Essay Contest has impacted over 750,000 students. Inspired by the power of simple quotes, or Laws of Life, Sir John Templeton established the writing competition in the 1970s to encourage young people to embrace the wisdom of these sayings, which he believed, when followed, helps everyone live their best lives. In their essays, students use the law to reflect on values that mean the most to them – values such as generosity, courage, perseverance, honesty, integrity, and compassion. The Georgia Rotary Clubs Laws of Life Essay Contest is made possible through local Rotary Clubs, individual donors, corporations, and a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. Pictured below: (front row)(left to right): Laws of Life students; Anantavious Ogletree, Gage Manship, Kailyn Bynum, Tanya Sessions, Za'niya Partridge, Diamond Slaton, Ahmad Ferrell. (back row) Barbara Nolan, Greenville High School Contest Chairperson Patissia Childs, Bob Patterson, Cliff Elliott, Aaron Mabon, Dawn Hill Woodard, Robert Griffin, Cynthia Sanford Kilby, Faye Clark Perdue, Greenville High School Principal Thad Jackson, Kay Williamson, and Lisa Bennett Thompson