PROGRAM:
Trevor Tylock presented the 4-Way Essay Contest. He said two of his favorite things about Rotary are youth services and giving. He said our future relies on the younger generations to be educated and well-informed and is proud to see so many strong youth through all our programs and other programs in the community. He is happy to see that they have such strong guidance to help them grow into the best adults and members of society that they can be.
Trevor acknowledged Melissa Wood-Glusac, a wonderful partner to our program, and English teacher at Thousand Oaks High School. He also recognized Deputy Superintendent of CVUSD, Dr. Victor Hayek.
Winners are presented with both a cash award and a plaque. 3rd place receives $250, 2nd place $300, and 1st place $500.
This year, there were 90 accepted entries from Thousand Oaks and Westlake High Schools. One of the entries was literally received at 11:59 PM on April 3rd, the exact moment of the deadline, and one received the morning after. Trevor said the essays bring him back to a high school mindset. You get to see some of the issues that are a big deal to us in life when we are younger, or some newer conflicts that never existed when we were their age. This year’s new theme was ICE and counterfeit things-whether tickets in the classroom or report cards. There was one essay of a student coming out, a few about friends growing apart, and some who did great things in the community.
The committee reads all accepted essays, then picks out personal favorites. The top picks are run through AI checkers and voted on as a committee. The authors of the entries are kept anonymous to the committee, so everyone is impartial when judging the essays.
This is Trevor’s 10th year of leading this contest. Karen Furnari presented the idea 30 years ago. High school students in the Conejo Valley are invited to write about an event in their life and then apply the 4-Way Test to that event to peaceably resolve the conflict.
The 3rd place winner was Chia-Wei Hsiao, a WLHS freshman. Born in Taipei, Taiwan, Chia Wei plays badminton, basketball, saxophone, piano and drums. Chia-Wei is a member of the Ventura County Honor Band and was just accepted as a Westlake Orientation Welcome Counselor.
Chia-Wei’s essay was based on resolving a rumor spread through the school claiming Chia had said something cruel and judgmental about a best friend and how the rumors were resolved through the Four-Way Test.
The 2nd place winner was Anne Chen. Born in Hong Kong, Anne attended kindergarten in Ho Cho Minh City in Vietnam and completed the third grade at a British International school in Shanghai. She then came to the US alone to study. She is currently a ninth grader at Westlake High School, where she is the president of the American Society of Students, and a member of girl’s golf team. In addition to her hobbies, she is QUOTE “fluent in sarcasm with a minor in eye rolling to her mom”. She is a recent graduate of RYLA, a member of Interact, and freshman ASG President. She competes in public speaking and has a 4.44 GPA.
Anne’s essay was based on a group discussion in class on AI and how it sparked an argument. Some argued that AI would improve lives by making tasks easier and more efficient, while others disagreed, saying it would take away jobs and create unfair advantages. She decided to apply the Four-Way Test to guide her response and help solve the conflict.
The 1st place winner was Kaylynn Dawson. Kaylynn is a junior attending TOHS. She is first basemen on the varsity softball team, receiving the student athlete award due to her great GPA. She is interested in a career in the medical field.
Kaylynn’s essay was based on a babysitting job she and a friend had taking care of two kids during her sophomore year. Her friend went upstairs and then Anne discovered a couple of her friend’s friends had come over uninvited. Anne, taught at a young age the value of being responsible and honest, knew that if she said nothing, she would avoid conflict with her friend, but could also result in losing her job as a babysitter. She used the Four-Way-Test and decided the truth was the right decision, telling the parents of the kids, and talking through her decision with her friend.
Pres. Darin closed the meeting with a few comments from RYLA. He said each day they would start the day by saluting the flag and singing a patriotic song. His observations over the past few years were that fewer kids seemed to know the songs and some even struggled with the Pledge of Allegiance. He didn’t know if it was a situation of lacking pride in our country, or conversations not happening about living in the greatest country on Earth. Darin handed out lyrics this year. He said they all sang together and when the words were actually read and understood, some of the kids were crying.
He said look for an opportunity to be grateful. To count your blessings. Have pride in yourselves. Being together as Americans, Rotarians, we don’t need to be afraid of each other for having different thought processes. Be a problem solver, not a problem causer.
