HEY JUNIORS! WE REALLY WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK AND HAVE THE PERFECT WAY FOR YOU TO TELL US -- THE 2003 F.O.C.A. JUNIOR ESSAY CONTEST! Here's the topic: "My Favorite Bible Story" There are four age categories: Ages 10 11 (250 words*) 12 13 (300 words*) 14 15 (400 words*) 16 18 (500 words*) *Suggested minimum length of the essay Essays will be judged on originality, quality of the writing and grammar. Winners will be announced at the National Convention. A $200 savings bond will be awarded to each category winner. All entrants will receive a gift certificate to Barnes & Noble just for entering. THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION IS JULY 1, 2003. Please make sure you include your name, age, chapter number, phone number and address on your essay. All submissions should be mailed or e-mailed to BOTH: Marissa Hedge AND Marge Kovach 30 Laura Lane 8 Ginesi Drive Morristown, New Jersey 07960 Clark, New Jersey 07066 973-401-1852 732-815-9765 If you have any questions, please call or e-mail Marge or Marissa. Good luck! |
2002 NATIONAL JUNIOR ESSAY CONTEST WINNERS ANNOUNCED This year's topic for the 2002 National Junior Essasy Contest was "Making Good out of Evil; How God can take a terrible thing and make something positive out of it" was selected. Marge Kovach and Marissa Hedge from the Bayonne "R" Club again served as co-chairpersons for the contest. There was an increase in submissions this year with a total of 26. Judges evaluated essays in four age categories, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15, and 16-18. MAKING GOOD OUT OF EVIL Juliana Nehrebecki Age 10 South River chapter #167-J I believe that good can come from evil and I will tell you a story of how. My mother, brother and I all live together in our new house. We gave our mother a lawn chair on Mother's Day and cleaned her car on Father's Day, because she is both to us, you see, our parents are divorced. At first it was very sad not to have a mother and a father living together in the same house; not to have my father walk through the door after work. All my other friends have two parents to drive them places and help them with school projects, but we only have Mom. Mom works hard and is tired when she comes home and is often cranky. My brother and I have to wait our turn if we need her help with schoolwork. The move was hard and scary. I left my school, friends and community that I grew up in. I went to a school where I had no friends and knew no one. I was the new kid in town and the girls weren't so easy to make friends with, and I am shy which makes it harder. Many times I'd cry at night because I had no friends but didn't want to let my Mother know because she would get upset. The move was hard but it was for the better. My parents just couldn't live together anymore. I was young but I can remember my parents yelling a lot and my brother and I would often cry. Now there is no more yelling, but a lot of laughter. I still miss my Dad a lot and see him as often as I can, but the three of us have become a new family and made a new life. As time has gone on, and I am finishing my first year of school in my new town, I have made many friends in school. I was even invited to my friend's sleepover birthday party the other night. It was great fun. We made sand art and homemade chocolate pops and got a goody bag filled with things. The divorce and the bad times were Evil, but good came of it. Our life is now filled with happiness and good times and this is mainly because of the church family that we joined. We joined a parish with a hundred children and a lot of people my mom's age and many divorced women too. We are very active in the church. We do a lot of activities and go on many trips. We went skiing to Lake Placid and visited the Mall of American in Minnesota, while attending the National Basketball Tournament. My brother and I both play on FOCA teams and his division won the championship this year. What a thrill that was! We are grateful to all those new parish friends who have taken us in as family and help Mom watch over us. My brother feels that our parent's divorce has given us a much better life and I'd have to agree with him. You see, good can come from evil! ------- Justine Grosso Age 13 South River #167-J It's hard to believe that something evil can be turned into something good. In fact, the perspective you look from is what makes the difference. You can either look at a glass half empty or half full. God can take a terrible thing and make something positive out of it. The same concept is used all throughout life. For example, if a child is skating without kneepads and he falls down and scrapes his knee, he will get upset and cry. After, with the guidance of his parents, he will realize his mistake and the consequences, and decide to wear kneepads the next time he skates. Also, if a student gets a bad grade on a test, she can review it and learn from her mistakes. The lessons people learn during their childhood will stay with them all through their years. When they become parents, they help their own children along, shaping their values and morals. Although God has helped us get through everyday problems like scraped knees and bad grades, He has also helped us with very big ones. God has allowed all of America to come closer after the terrorist events of September 11th. Through this horrible tragedy, friends and family have become closer. What has been a simple peck on the cheek and a quick "I love you" before going to work or school, now means so much more. People have realized that it may have been their last goodbye to their loved one. Everyone has learned to appreciate their family and other things they have taken for granted. Some realize how lucky they are to be alive and how lucky they are to have all their family members with them too. This shows that God has turned something so evil into something good. Many people feel the need to turn to God even more than usual when times are bad or they are scared and worried. We ask Him why such an evil thing could have happened and why someone would want to do something so terrible. We may not always get an answer, but praying helps us think about what has happened and our faith in God is usually enough to help us get through a terrible time. After all that has happened, I know I feel changed for the better and will continue to look at the glass half full. I pray that God will give me the strength to deal with what I can control and make sure it leads to something good. Kate Mulcahy Age 14 Northside chapter #1-J At my school, there are many posters displayed around the building with encouraging messages. One of my favorite reads: "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." Although this may be oversimplifying things a bit, it's basically what God does everyday. People have their own free will meaning that God can't control our actions. Thus, people make mistakes, and bad things do happen. More importantly, however, are the actions taken as a result of these acts. Something positive can result from them. Take, for example, September 11, 2001. This was possibly the worst tragedy ever witnessed by Americans. But, despite this evil doing, the goodness in people prevailed. The best qualities in many people were revealed. These included: love, generosity, bravery, perseverance and an infinite number of other traits. Strangers risked their lives for one another, while others donated blood, food, medical aid and friendly support for the victims and their families. God was a part of all of this. He gave the American people the strength to go on. The best part, though, was that people were helping each other. Too often, we disregard people in need, saying "it's not our problem." Here, however, everyone reached out to assist the needy. Everyone can see how God turned evil into good on this large scale, but how does He do it on a personal level? How does He change bad things that occur in everyday life into something positive? An example from my own life can answer these questions. In sixth grade, I was just getting settled into my new school when a problem befell me. An older boy kept harassing me in school, on the phone and even at my house. I felt like I couldn't escape the lies he was telling about me, and the rude comments that were being made about me to other students. Understandably, I didn't want to attend school because of this. I was afraid of what might happen to me, or how I might be humiliated. Despite the severity of the situation, I learned a lot of good things from this experience. First of all, I realized that I had some really great friends who would support me in any way that they could. I also realized that some people weren't worth being friends with. Many teachers also befriended me during this tough time, and lent a helping hand whenever they could. The second positive thing that came from this problem was that my family grew closer together. We were more conscious of each other's feelings and supported one another. Finally, this made me a stronger person. I learned how to deal with harassment, and what to do to possibly avoid it in the future. I learned how to focus on my studies, in the midst of a difficult situation. Lastly, I learned that God was there to help me through my struggle, and that I could find strength in Him. Sometimes it's hard to see God's presence during the tough times, but looking back, it's evident that we couldn't have made it through without His love and guidance. Also, having a positive outlook during bad times can help you solve the problem and keep your head clear. You have to learn to be patient, and to see all sides of a situation. If all this is kept in mind, every evil can easily be changed into a positive experience. Just remember, to make your lemons into lemonade, add the sugar of God's love! Jeffrey Hoff Age 18 South River #167-J September 11, 2001 wreaked havoc among citizens from the United States, especially those close to the towers, flights and the people involved in them. Yet there was a common theme that was seen during the events: unity. There was unity throughout the rescues there was unity throughout the donations there was unity throughout the prayers. If one thing could be described as a true oneness, it would be the prayers that were given after and during those attacks. Sure, they all may have asked for different individual things, but their source was all the same from within. Religion, race, creed and ethnicity were all thrown aside as people stood as one in prayer. The terrible evil shown on September 11th is a prime example of how God changes tragedy into triumph. The terrorist's objective was to dismantle America's unity and faith, yet God turned this around. The faith shown after these tragedies was incredible. God took a terrible thing and made something positive out of it. He took a disaster and from it He had people saving each other, contributing to each other and praying together. On a personal note for September 11th, I saw how God made people come together. My father works in New York City. Because of the mass chaos and uncertainty surrounding the attacks, many modes of transportation were shut down, especially the bridges and tunnels. This made it almost impossible for my father to get to New Jersey from New York City, until he met a kind Samaritan. This total stranger found a way to get to his home in Long Island (one of the only bridges open), fed him, then brought him to New Jersey. Refusing anything in return, he left for home after this eight hour ordeal. Another aspect of God reversing a terrible thing is how He renewed people's faith. Those who happened to take the day off saw themselves as given a second chance at life. Those whose routine had been altered, or if they had suddenly gone somewhere else for things such as a surprise business meeting, or a lot of traffic realized that they had been spared. After these attacks, there was no dreary outlook by Americans, but a strong, unified and positive approach. They saw the bet way to fight evil was by doing good easily noted as God's message. The church has always advocated service to others, and these attacks brought about more service so quickly that it is hard to compare it with any other time in history. We have been reminded that we have obligations to each other, both friends and foes. We must think less about the goods we can accumulate and more upon the goods we can accomplish. God uses the horrific events of September 11th to His advantage, inverting them into a positive outcome. He renewed faith, promoted service and brought people closer together as "one nation under God". |
HEY JUNIORS! WE REALLY WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK AND HAVE THE PERFECT WAY FOR YOU TO TELL US -- THE 2003 F.O.C.A. JUNIOR ESSAY CONTEST! Here's the topic: "My Favorite Bible Story" There are four age categories: Ages 10 11 (250 words*) 12 13 (300 words*) 14 15 (400 words*) 16 18 (500 words*) *Suggested minimum length of the essay Essays will be judged on originality, quality of the writing and grammar. Winners will be announced at the National Convention. A $200 savings bond will be awarded to each category winner. All entrants will receive a gift certificate to Barnes & Noble just for entering. THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION IS JULY 1, 2003. Please make sure you include your name, age, chapter number, phone number and address on your essay. All submissions should be mailed or e-mailed to BOTH: Marissa Hedge AND Marge Kovach 30 Laura Lane 8 Ginesi Drive Morristown, New Jersey 07960 Clark, New Jersey 07066 973-401-1852 732-815-9765 If you have any questions, please call or e-mail Marge or Marissa. Good luck! |
