Four Way Test essay winners
At the regular meeting at Prante's Tuesday noon May 6th members heard the club winners read their Four Way Test essays. They were introduced by club program chair Carmen Plummer.
The first place winner of the $ 200.00 US prize was Samantha Goerger of Wyndmere High with "Mashed Potatoes, Gravy and Social Pressrues" where
she documented her path to reopening the Wyndmere Teen Center to be "beneficial and fair to all". Closed in 2002 due to the lack of available adult supervision the loss has created in the town of 419 a situation of kids being in the "in crowd' or having nothing according to Ms. Goerger,. As a person who likes to keep her foods separate she equate this to where "on a small plate gravy has no where to go but to contaminate the corn". Close to being reopened she sees the revived teen Center as a place where all can participate with a diminution of the social pressures.
The second palce winner of the $ 150.00 US prize was Madeleine Belling of Richland 44. Discussing from the experience of having homosexual family
members and friends she directly applied the Four Way test to homosexuals adopting children. It is a truth that there are 20,000 children in foster care and fair to all when both hetero- and homo- sexual couples can adopt these children. While often requiring people to do something they are uncomfortable with there is a need in our world to accept differences not only with sexual orienation but with style, religion, race and many other areas where humans differ. Ultimately this will be beneficial to all.
The third place winner of the $ 100.00 US prize was Abby Zenker from Richland 44 where, using the Four Way test she advocated a ban on cigarette
smoking. It is true that smoking is a leading cause of death in the United States and such a ban would be fair to all as it would eliminate the hazard of second hand smoke. She sees this ban as building good will and friendship as the odor that clings to a smoker would be gone as would the hazard to others from the second hand smoke. Both from a health and cost standpoint this would be beneficial to all.