1993-1994 Harry Singer Foundation National Essay Contest

Doesn't Anyone Care About The Children?

Teacher: Susan Staten

Broken Arrow High School, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

1st Rebecca White  2nd Kristi Clemons   3rd Bridget Robertson

"The youth of America have begun looking towards gangs as ways to make drug money and to be part of a fellowship that believes it doesn't matter who is killed or hurt, only that their gang stays alive."
Brenner Farr, Broken Arrow High School, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

"Responsibility is an individual concept and an individual lifestyle, one taught by the mostimportant institution this nation will ever know -- the family."
Angela Fletcher, Broken Arrow High School, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

"With all the whining and blaming going on all over the television and newspapers, the amount of difficulty in finding someone deserving of praise bows only to the almost impossible task of finding someone taking responsibility for themselves and their actions."
Sara Heberling, Broken Arrow High School, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

"Eighty percent of adolescents in psychiatric hospitals come from broken homes. Three out of four teenagers who commit suicide come from broken homes. Girls from intact low-income families scored higher than boys from broken high-income homes on cognitive tests. In a government survey of 17,000 children, children living apart from a biological parent were found to be 20 percent to 40 percent more vulnerable to sickness. Twenty to thirty percent were found to be more likely to be injured in an accident."
Karl Werner, Broken Arrow High School, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

"Broken homes may teach a child to shift responsibility from himself. Some examples include: blaming a teacher for a bad grade, giving the excuse 'Well he made me do it' when in trouble, or even saying that the hungry dog was the reason for lost homework. If children learn early to shift the responsibility from themselves to avoid trouble, they will carry that habit with them throughout their life, eventually leading to a 'I only care about myself' and 'It's not my fault' society."
Kimberly Knutson, Broken Arrow High School, Broken Arrow,

 "Americans must help themselves before they can be helped by anyone else. Individuals must take on responsibilities for restoring family values, community pride, and respect for one another. It is this personal responsibility which is the foundation of moral character, and perhaps the only way to save this great society from total destruction."
Kristi Clemons, Broken Arrow High School, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

 "Of all teenagers surveyed at a local Florida high school, one-fourth admitted to carrying a weapon the month prior. In reaction to such horrifying statistics the community has established a program called Safe Schools, Safe Communities. ...The program will allow $624,833 in federal grants to reach the school districts of Florida helping them to tie links between local schools and police. Such a program makes a prime example of the ladder effect associated with responsibility. When the first notch of the ladder slips the family, the responsibility moves down to the schools. When that notch slips the responsibility descends even lower to the communities."
Angela Fletcher, Broken Arrow High School, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

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