1993-1994 Harry Singer Foundation National Essay Contest

Responsibility, Who Has It and Who Doesn't and What That Means For The Nation

Teacher: Rebecca Kingsley

Rolla High School, Rolla, North Dakota

   1st Justin Tomlinson  2nd Dustin Dunlop 3rd Shane McDougall

Two top executives of the Woolworth company were sued for fraudulent activities. According to the Wall Street Journal April 4, 1994, one defendant "acted to conceal adverse material information regarding Woolworth's finances in an effort to increase and maintain an artificially high market price for the common stock of Woolworth."

"People don't like to take the time to reuse again. It's easier to buy another. But now you can do your share of reusing or recycling. All you have to do is separate paper, aluminum, glass, and plastic, and recycle. It saves the US money and energy. 'In 1988 26 million tons of paper and 28 billion glass bottles and jars were recycled in one year.' Aluminum was always an area of recycling. 'In 1989 sixty one percent of aluminum was recycled.' If everyone does their share this would be a better country to live in."
Dawn Stein, Rolla High School, Rolla , North Dakota

There was more evidence that this project required more than the usual research for factual information. A great deal of subjective soul-searching took place across the nation:

"We need to stop using ignorance as an excuse for not getting involved. If there were more people who devoted a little time towards the problems of today we would be a lot better off. I can only pray that by the time my grandchildren are my age, people will have more respect for other people, and that people [will be] able to look beyond things like color, religion and what state of health they are in and see that we all need someone to stick behind us."
Tricia Holum, Rolla High School, Rolla, North Dakota

Back