1993-1994 Harry Singer Foundation National Essay Contest

Doesn't Anyone Care About The Children?

Teacher: Elora A. Strickler

Antietam High School, Reading, Pennsylvania

   1st Valerie Levan        2nd Beth Civitarese  3rd Hao Duong

"As the traditional social supports have disappeared for most teenagers, they begin to learn things from their peers, drug dealers, or other people who engage in criminal conduct. Instead of going to school and working their way up to a good job through education, young people see the fast and easy money drug dealing makes and make their money through gangs and drug dealers."
Beth Civitarese, Antietam High School, Reading, Pennsylvania

 "(But) there are some positive stories in the celebrity world if we are willing to listen... Chris Webber, a rookie star in the NBA and a former All-American on the college and high school level, used his money and fame to start the Time Out Foundation to help under-privileged kids get a better start in life. Role models aren't bad to have, but we must learn to distinguish which we will follow. Who we choose to admire is our decision, but at an early age parents should begin to guide and educate their children so that when the time come they will make the right choice based on what they have learned. When children are older it is much harder to get through and make an impact on their opinions."
Hao Duong, Antietam High School, Reading, Pennsylvania

 "In support of the teenagers today, I don't believe our parents' generation can actually understand how treacherous the waters have gotten since they were at sea. ...For the teenagers of today, responsibility has become more of a threat than a promise... Now, with the AIDS virus looming over the heads of all sexually active teens, as well as the many other STD's [sexually transmitted diseases]which are present in the world today, both partners have a responsibility to each other to be sure they are untouched by any of these diseases before becoming intimate."
Benjamin E. Debiec, Antietam High, Reading, Pennsylvania

 "Many of my other friends are sexually active and do not use birth control because it is not as convenient. They sometimes get worried that they may be pregnant, but they say they'll simply get an abortion. ...If someone feels that she is old enough to have sex, she should be old enough to do so safely. ...I am not pro-life or anti-abortion, but I am against the reckless lifestyle it may involve. I worry that this irresponsible behavior could end up hurting people I love."
Tressa Bell, Antietam High School, Reading, Pennsylvania

 "First-born kids are thrown into a life where they are the main role model for their brothers and sisters and since their parents are not around enough, they must also work through any problems which may come up. There may have been a small number of kids in our parents' generation who (found themselves) in a situation much like the one I have described, but in today's society, single parents and families which have both parents working full-time are more abundant than ever before."
Benjamin E. Debiec, Antietam High School, Reading,

 "Violence is devastating the young people of this country, much like polio devastated children 40 years ago... They also need stiffer penalties for offenders because to some young people jail is like a sleepover camp where most of their friends are also."
Beth Civitarese, Antietam High School, Reading, Pennsylvania

"Most of us, at some point, have looked up to someone or wished that we were someone else. These people were our role models. We didn't pick them simply because we knew of them, but because they touched us somehow. We can't always wait for people to help and guide us. Once in a while, I think that we need to take a step back from whatever it is that we are involved with and evaluate where we stand. We need to realize that we are all role models and we are responsible for the way we act because what we do affects so many others."
Hao Duong, Antietam High School, Reading, Pennsylvania

 "Parents need to stop neglecting their children and start paying attention to what their children are doing, not only at night, but also during the day. They need to make their children go to school and make them do their school work."
Beth Civitarese, Antietam High School, Reading, Pennsylvania

 "Guns don't kill people--people do". If you look at it in one light this is certainly true, but this phrase [acknowledges citizens'] responsibility to [handle] guns [conscientiously]. If you look at the phrase [in] another light, you might realize if those people who do kill with guns suddenly don't have those guns, then what would happen. It takes very little effort to aim and pull a trigger. That can all happen in a split second and the result can never be reversed. I feel no one needs to have a gun mainly because I feel no good can come from them."
Dylan Knowles, Antietam High School, Reading, Pennsylvania

"TV stations have produced three devices to be used by parents to block out what their children watch. These three devices are SuperVision, TV Allowance, and Time Slot. SuperVision and TV Allowance both use a password to control what is watched. Time Slot uses a plastic card that is slid through a cable box...TV violence may never end, but its affliction against children can end if people take responsibility for themselves, for their children, and for the welfare of others."
Kate E. Kauffman, Antietam High School, Reading, Pennsylvania

 "Schools could help stop the violence and drug dealing in school by random locker checks and if necessary the use of a metal detector to stop the kids from carrying guns and knives in school."
Beth Civitares, Antietam High School, Reading, Pennsylvania

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