1997-1998 Harry Singer Foundation National Essay Contest
Responsibility: Who Has It, Who Doesn't, And What That Means To The Nation
Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa
Teacher : Connie Doonan
1st Kathleen Kies 
2nd Jenny Tuttle 
3rd Josh
Maske
Definition
"Responsibility is defined in the dictionary as
being accountable and reliable. Today, many people struggle in life because they don't
take responsibility seriously. If people want to be respected and have success, they have
to be responsible."
Nathan Kier, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa
"Responsibility is the basis of freedom."
Emily Boettcher, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa
Depressing
"The world has become a place of crooks and of victims. It seems that the good are
few and the bad are plenty."
Jenny Tuttle, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa
Irresponsible Acts
"More neglect is reflected in the case of a child who was
delivered dead to his New York Special Education Class. The boy weighed 27 pounds and had
been absent for 37 consecutive days without the school taking action. This handicapped
child was part of a 50-million dollar escort program that employed irresponsible people.
His driver thought it was not her duty to touch passengers. This self-centered act shows
an attitude of irresponsibility for other human beings and reflects the decay of moral
values of the nation."
Mitch Melohn, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa
Responsibility
"Nothing teaches more responsibility faster than getting out of bed at 5:30 in the
morning to be on time to work."
Mitch Melohn, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa
"Why is McDonalds responsible? Coffee is made to be hot. Unless
McDonalds put the lid on wrong or dropped it on her lap, McDonalds should not be liable.
If anything, the people that manufactured the burner to the coffee pot should be
liable."
Josh Sievers, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa
"Responsibility is a strange thing. When kids are young, they want it like it is candy, but as the kids turn into adults this candy turns poisonous. Many people hate having to put up with it, and the results of some people's actions are left for the public to deal with. Responsibility all starts with the small things, such as taking the blame for an accident. During the 1996-97 school year, the Newell-Fonda Mustangs were lucky enough to win the Boys' State Basketball Championship. While they were in Des Moines, they resided at the Howard Johnson Hotel. The Mustangs were not the only team staying there, however. Upon checking out, the coach was informed that things had been broken. They didn't know who did it, and nobody took the responsibility for his actions.
Another incident concerning people being irresponsible is when a local boy from Fonda ran over his neighbor's dog. Of course, nobody witnessed this event, so he assumed he was in the clear. The bad part about it was that he actually was in the clear. The family mourned the passing of their pet, and nobody was the wiser.
Many hit-and-run accidents happen every day all over.
Somebody backs out from a parking space and smashes out a taillight or dents a door. The
owner is left to pay for the damages out of his or her own pocket. Even accidents carry
their own responsibility, and it's time people face up to them."
Thomas Kruchten, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa
"The responsibility it takes for a graduate of high
school to make a life-determining decision on what to do with the life ahead of him/her is
unbelievable."
Katie Yocum, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa
Rewards
"It is even worse when bad things happen to people trying to do a good deed. A radio
station went bankrupt so nineteen listeners scraped up enough money to buy the station.
They volunteered their time to keep the station on the air. When the government found out
that they weren't receiving minimum wage, they were threatened with large fines. They
explained that the station wasn't making a profit, and the matter was finally dropped.
Their reward for volunteering was nothing more than a great deal of stress. Kim was
driving home when she saw a house engulfed in flames and noticed a woman dangling a child
from a second-story window. Kim left her card to help the woman. She caught the girl and
held her until the mother jumped down. Kim received enough gratitude from the mother's
hug, kiss and many thanks, but had another reward waiting at her car. While she was
helping the woman, her purse had been stolen. People willing to volunteer deserve so much
more gratitude than they get."
Kathleen Kies, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa
Role Models
"We must be an example to younger generations and show them
that taking responsibility is cool."
Cynthia Eldred, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa
Student Opinion
"Everyday, citizens become victims of a society of people that do not want
to account for their actions. Too many people in our society are not dependable, not
meeting obligations, and are seriously affecting future generations. Everyone needs to
make a serious effort to be productive to themselves, to the nation, and to mankind."
Mitch Melohn, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa
"People should be taught that mistakes happen and life goes on. Learn
from [mistakes]. Learn not to make them again…It would be nice if they didn't happen,
but they do Getting people to accept that they are responsible for their mistakes would
take time and patience. Teachers and bosses would have to cooperate with these people.
Instructors should encourage, not discourage. People remember negative over
positive."
Josh Sievers, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa
"Criminals can easily put the blame elsewhere. For example, a man
walked in to a bar carrying a rifle, hand grenades, and a handgun. Some people tried to
prevent him from entering, so he began shooting, killing two people and injuring five
others. When he got to court, the defenders said that when a struggle for the rifle broke
out at the door, he had to shoot to defend himself. He was found not guilty of all
charges. The prosecution didn't disprove that it was self-defense. The only thing he [the
defendant] had to do was turn it around and put the blame on the victims…Timothy
Vacher had been convicted of twenty-one various crimes. He was a serial sex offender and
is still on the street. He has never spent a day in jail because a psychiatrist said,
'There is a long history of depression.' These people are coming up with any excuse and
getting themselves out of being punished. They haven't been taught to be responsible for
their actions. We must quit letting criminals get away without paying [for their
crimes]…Criminals need to be punished and volunteers need to be rewarded. Our society
is a mixture of good people who want to help others and irresponsible people who have
never had to suffer from their mistakes. When these groups are together, bad things happen
to good people. I think the solution is to teach kids at a young age to be responsible and
respect others. In my school, kids have problems with money being stolen from the locker
room. They change clothes for practice, and when they return, their cash is gone. The
first step is to talk to everyone [who has] access to the locker room. Some people just
need a little lecture about respecting others. Someone could be in charge of monitoring
the locker room, or a reward could be offered to anyone with information. As soon as the
person or people are found, they must be punished. They need to learn to be responsible
for their actions. I think the people in charge of discipline make too many idle threats
and accept too many excuses. If serving detentions, apologizing, and paying the money back
doesn't end the problem, the police should become involved. Kids need to know how serious
stealing is. They need to learn responsibility during middle school and high school if
it's not taught at home. We can't have irresponsible people ruining things for everyone
else."
Kathleen Kies, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa
"In elementary [school], emphasis could be placed on sharing and getting along. Middle school students could be required to attend classes about responsibility and making the right choices. Punishments could be made a little stricter because a detention doesn't mean much anymore. Punishments in high school need to be made strict enough so that students know they can't get away with not showing up for class or not doing homework. Grades need to mean more to students so that they will try harder to excel. In much of Europe, students study a whole year for a test [that] determines if they will go to college or a trade school. The test determines their future, so they work hard in school. The U.S. could eventually adopt a similar system. The government also needs to get tougher on criminals and repeat offenders. In Saudi Arabia, criminals lose body parts as their punishment. That may be a radical idea for the U.S., but it would make crooks think twice. The death penalty also needs to be used in all 50 states. If criminals see that the government is serious about stricter penalties, crime may decrease.
People need to become responsible for their actions so society doesn't
suffer as a whole. Sooner or later, all crimes, no matter how small, will have a negative
affect on other people because someone has to pick up the tab. In making the world a
better place for the future, everything counts. Every smile, lesson learned, or life saved
is a start. The government needs to promote responsibility for all ages and crack down on
criminals to help break the negative cycle. People need to let go of fate and take charge
of their own lives so that they can be productive assets to the nation and to the
world."
Jenny Tuttle, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa
"A problem a lot of schools experience is students skipping school and not taking school work seriously. In order to get students to come to school, there needs to be a reason, and to learn isn't working. I would like to propose a step-by-step plan to eliminate semester tests and give students more of a reason to come to school and study. My proposal is a point system in which students get points for different reasons and can lose points for violations. If a student gets four points or more for that semester, then they don't have to take the semester test.
By giving the student the chance to not take the semester test would motivate them to
take responsibility and study for the test, and not to skip school to get more
points."
Josh Maske, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa
"Patricia Geressy, a former Executive Secretary for the Port Authority, filed a
lawsuit claiming she developed carpal tunnel syndrome after typing for her company. But
Geressy didn't just file a suit against the Port Authority; she went after the deep
pockets of the keyboard maker, Digital Equipment. The New York jury ruled in her favor and
awarded her 5.3 million dollars.
My creative three-step solution will tell how a lawsuit such as the one filed by Patricia
Geressy can be prevented.
# 1. A class should be required for all employees whose primary job is typing. It should
contain information on how carpal tunnel syndrome can be prevented and also offer
information on the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.
# 2. Typists should be required to use logbooks that would be inspected by the employer
frequently. The typists should have a maximum amount of hours they are allowed to type
each day. Failure to stay within the limits of these hours would result in pay reduction.
# 3. Rest pads should be required for all typists. They should be provided by the company
and be required to be used any time a person is typing.
Due to the absurd number of people who don't take responsibility for themselves,
employers and companies nationwide must take extra precautionary steps to prevent
ridiculous lawsuits from happening."
Cynthia Eldred, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa
"Life is not always gong to be fair. If someone becomes unhappy for a certain
reason, they should realize that everyone else has problems, too, an that they will not
always get their way."
Emily Boettcher, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa
"Many children these days are growing up in dysfunctional families. I look down in our elementary and see many children that come from bad homes. These children do not get the love and attention they need. Their parents are either too busy for them, or they just don't care. Because of this, these children have low self-esteem and usually have difficulty in school. They often have little help at home and give little effort towards schoolwork. Even though this is not the children's fault, many adults, such as teachers, often blame it on them. All these children need is a little extra attention. We need to show them there is someone who cares about them, someone who is there for them, and someone who they can look up to. If we do not succeed in doing this, where are these children going to go? What kind of lives are they going to lead?…
I believe more people in America need to volunteer for volunteer work. Organizations
and businesses are always looking for volunteers. We need to stop being so selfish and
start helping others. My plan to this problem would be to make volunteering mandatory. I
would start in the community schools. Before a high school student could graduate, they
would have to have so many hours or credits of volunteer work or community service. Next,
I would get more adults to help in the schools. This area is probably the hardest because
adults always have something better to do. I would have it mandatory that students'
parents would have to help either at sporting events or special holiday programs. Last, I
would get businesses to do more. As an entire organization, they could either donate money
or volunteer to do things on the weekends. I feel if more people would volunteer and take
on the responsibility, our children…would also take on that responsibility."
Sarah Witzke, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa
"From childhood, we learn that if we take responsibility for our actions, we get
punished, but if we can somehow shift the blame, we can get out of a grounding or time in
the corner. That conflict makes it very difficult to teach children the importance of
responsibility. There is not an easy answer to this problem, but it is one that must be
faced if people are serious about making a difference."
Jason Veit, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa
"Another example of irresponsible behavior is a high school senior that drops out
of his/her last year. Even in small schools, seniors will drop out of high school. These
students that drop out are obviously not thinking of their future. A high school diploma
is necessary for a person to get any kind of job that pays fairly well. Now, the question
is, 'How can this be changed?' To start with, all the students need to be encouraged by
their teachers. Now, when students aren't showing the same work skills as the other
students, they need some extra help. Some of these students don't want help, even if they
are flunking. They need to be encouraged again and motivated to do their work. These
students need to be reminded of what they have accomplished and what they will accomplish
if they graduate."
Morgan Greenfield, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa
White Hats
"Officer Wayne Barton has reduced drug activity in his neighborhood and has
gone beyond his call of duty. He helps dish up plates at the school cafeteria. Every
weekend, he goes to visit some kids living in a local housing project. He takes the first
twenty kids that can show him an improvement in their school progress reports to his home
to play on the computer and shoot baskets. His only thanks is the love he receives from
the kids."
Kathleen Kies, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa
"Another example of showing responsibility is the lady who goes
into eye surgery to hold people's hands and give comfort as they go through this painful
surgery. She feels that the people feel better if they have someone there with them, and
it makes them relax during surgery. As the lady thought that it was her duty to hold
people's hands in surgery, another man felt responsible to clean up a polluted stream and
restore plant and animal life. This man had lived near a stream that had been filled with
trash, oil and other disgusting stuff that had killed all the fish and plants. This man
worked hard to restore plant life and clean the place up. He made that stream so clean
that fish would survive in it again. Then he planted plants and even introduced animals,
such as fox and turtles, to the stream."
Nathan Kier, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa
"Street Soldiers (or Omega Boys Club) is a special center for
inner-city kids. Joseph Marshall started the club in his basement in 1987. Now the
organization has its very own community center in San Francisco. The main goal of this
program was to keep kids out of gangs and drugs and to keep kids in school. Joseph
Marshall and a small group of volunteers have already helped approximately 600 kids."
Emily Boettcher, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa
"A thunderstorm damaged the levee badly and flooded the town. The
levee was located on Dale Best's property. The city or the state wouldn't help him. He put
this half-mile long, thirty-foot tall project on his own shoulders and rebuilt it. That is
amazing!"
Thomas Kruchten, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa
"NFL star Warrick Dunn bought nine houses and donated them to
homeless families."
Jason Veit, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa
"…A man and his wife gave food to a food pantry once a month.
They never gave their names but they just wanted to help out. The shelter figured out that
they were spending $400 a year and they had been doing this for fifteen years! They
finally told the people to just call them Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Public, and that is how
they are known."
Amanda Kier, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa
"David Robinson donated the largest single gift by an NBA player
($5 million) to help found the Carver Complex in San Antonio's inner city. The Center
gives kids a place to go for help and has a main goal of turning today's kids into
leaders. Another man who has donated is a
former sailor and now owner of the Braves and Hawks, Ted Turner. Turner pledged $1 billion
to the United Nations, which will be given in chunks of $100 million a year for 10
years."
Kyle Corderman, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa
"Channel 9 TV in Sioux City, Iowa, has a segment on Thursday
evenings called Thursday's Child. They interview a child who is looking for a Big
Brother/Big Sister while showing the viewing audience the child doing something that
he/she likes to do. The child tells what his/her hobbies are, why they want a Big
Brother/Big Sister, and what they would like to do with the person."
Julie Lanxon, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa