Virgin Islands public high school students offered words of wisdom learned from their life experiences when the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands hosted the 14th Laws of Life Essay Contest awards.
The receptions were held Saturday at St. Peter Greathouse on St. Thomas and Sunday at Government House on St. Croix.
More than 600 students from the territory’s four public high schools submitted essays that addressed a "Law of Life" that has personally affected them in some way. The students explained what they have learned from it, according to the announcement from the CFVI.
These laws are simply the “set of rules” by which we should live, the news release said. An anonymous panel of judges read and selected the best essays.
Of the more than 600 entries, 91 were selected as winners from Central High and Educational Complex on St. Croix and Charlotte Amalie High and Ivanna Eudora Kean High on St. Thomas. First prize winners from each grade at each high school received $500, second place winners received $250, third place winners received $150, and $50 went to three students from each grade who received honorable mention.
English teachers of the three top winners of each grade were also awarded monetary prizes.
According to the CFVI, the contest is a character education program designed to motivate students to think and write about their values. The essays contained such themes as self-acceptance, forgiveness, learning from one’s mistakes and treating others with respect. First place winners read their essays aloud to an audience of family members, teachers, school administration and friends of the Community Foundation.
First place winners were:
St. Thomas: Jah’Shylah Davis, Kaisma Henry, D’ Shanique Walters, Shaedaya Varlack, Devante Bartlette, Brianna Hairston and Kyu Matthews.
St. Croix: Eric Hennemann, Cassim Vitalis, Amal Bryson, Jashaune Graham, Shawn Abel, Chasen Richards, Sherise Gumbs and Sojourna Ferguson.
The Laws of Life Essay contest was introduced to the Virgin Islands in 2001 and is funded by the Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation. It is a joint effort with the Grubers, CFVI and the school English teachers.