1993-1994 Harry Singer Foundation National Essay Contest
White Hats: People Who Are Trying To Make A Difference
Teacher: Carlene Stueve
Colby High School, Colby, Kansas
1st Kristi St. Aubyn 
2nd Michelle Berens 
3rd Brian Albright
"It's
so hard to find good things happening in cities and towns. It seems that the
cruel and wrong doings are more glorified and publicized."
Becky Britton, Colby High School,
Colby, Kansas
"We
need to stop splashing out news of the unfairness and cruelty of our world, and
put more stress on the events that are beneficial to us. We can't ignore our
problems but we have to stop focusing on them alone."
Jaime Black, Colby High School,
Colby, Kansas
"It
is time to return to a system that rewards responsibility. A specific time must
be set, about two years, at which time the welfare state shall cease to exist.
Over those years, the payments to people on welfare shall decrease gradually.
The people must become responsible and find a source of income. Any other funds
supporting those out of work shall be from churches, private companies,
organizations, and so on. By following these steps, people will once again
become responsible citizens, which will help solve many of the other problems
which exist in America."
Jacob Sweat, Colby High School, Colby,
Kansas
"In
1987, Mark Miller, a middle income businessman, read a missing child leaflet;
his curiosity led him to call The American Association for Lost Children.
[He] found that they were a non-profit organization committed to finding lost
children for no fee. He began studying for his private investigator's license so
he could help the association. Since then he has helped locate thirty-three
missing children. When he was asked why he gave up his comfortable career to
find missing children, Miller stated that he just wanted to help people."
Sandra K. Aschenbrenner, Colby High School, Colby, Kansas
"Knowing
that oil could pollute the groundwater, people in the community got together and
had an oil collecting facility put in at the landfill. Now people can take their
used oil there instead of dumping it in an unsafe manner. This kind of program
shows that we are beginning to take responsibility for our environment."
Michelle Berens, Colby High School,
Colby, Kansas