1996-1997 Harry Singer Foundation National Essay Contest
1st Eli Jones 
2nd Kristy Davidson
3rd Jeremiah Privett
"In my personal experience, I've always found that by doing
the 'right' thing, you tend to get further in life. Case in point, let's look at, well, my
life for a minute. I can be described as an over-achiever and a perfectionist. I have
always tried to do the right thing. I have always been involved at school and I have
always tried to respect my parents. I feel that this has paid off. Next fall, I well be
attending a wonderful university where I will be a pre-medical scholar. I feel that
without all my conscious efforts to try to be 'good', then I do not believe I would be
standing where I am today. Maybe if everyone could behave responsibly, a lot of this
world's problems could be solved. For the future, we should all try to behave in such a
manner."
Kristy Davidson, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
"Parents need to inform [children] that not having sex is all
right and you don't have to have sex to fit in or be cool. These days' children are having
sex at a younger age. If a parent does not teach [a] child at an early age about sex, it
may be too late. There is a girl that was not taught about sex. Well, this causes many
problems for her when she became twelve years old. She heard about everyone else doing it
and she thought it would be all right for her to do it also. She did not think about all
of the consequences and regrets. She later learned, by the hard way, that sex is not
something you do to be cool, it is something you do when you love someone."
Dixie Sybert, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
"Community workshop centers, such as Bonebrake, provide a
place where people can serve the community and help the youth of the area."
Eli Jones, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
"An example of responsible, even angelic behavior is the
story of Barbara McKillip. This woman has gotten 4000 brand-new children's books donated
to 65 rural libraries in 26 states. Saying that rural kids are often 'forgotten', Barbara
has made sure that these children are not."
Kristy Davidson, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
"One little girl with cerebral palsy desperately needed a
$700 tricycle to strengthen her legs so that she might be able to walk without braces.
Thanks to a long-haul trucker's desire to help, she was able to get it. This trucker now
has a foundation called Jim's Kids in which a staff of more than 100 volunteers help raise
money for these children."
Tiffany Salyer, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
"A Washington, D.C. businessman,…saw a boy in a hospital
meet a professional athlete. The boy's spirits were lifted greatly by meeting the pro
athlete, so the man got the idea to put pro athletes on tape giving messages to get well
personally to children in hospitals. The video's have been a great success and meant a lot
to the sick children."
Stuart Pryor, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
"Irresponsible acts such as littering affects everyone in one
way or another. Whether it be living in polluted areas, or having to clean up litter, this
irresponsible act affects us all. Many people think if they just throw out one can or
bottle it won't hurt anything, but when everyone just throws out one can or bottle it adds
up rather quickly."
Jeremiah Privett, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
"A friend of mine has an uncle who is an alcoholic. He has
told me about some fits he throws when he is drunk. Some of these result in people around
him being physically harmed. About ten years ago, just a few miles from my house three
young men were killed in a drunk driving accident. The three men killed in the accident
were sober."
Jeremiah Privett, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
"Irresponsible actions include using drugs, stealing,
littering, and drinking and driving. To try to prevent this type of behavior from
occurring we have made laws prohibiting it, but these restrictions have not had the affect
we anticipated. People will have to want to act more responsibly, and make it a top
priority, for our society to change. However, these cases I have listed occur very
infrequently. Most everyday irresponsible actions do not result in the seriousness of
these crimes. Some of the less serious behavior includes blaming others for your problems,
not helping yourself improve, and being impolite towards others."
Ben Sachs, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
"A fifteen-year-old girl has a stepfather that has been
molesting her for a while now. both parents in this situation are being irresponsible,
because the girl told her mother and she did nothing about it. this girl is in a tough
situation that only she can get herself out of."
Dixie Sybert, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
"A guy in Salem, Missouri has a new baby and does not pay for
anything for that child. He hardly ever sees his child but he still claims it as his. He
should not be able to have anything to do with child, unless he is willing to help with
it. this child still needs that feeling of support that only a parent can give."
Dixie Sybert, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
"With all the wrong in this world, it's easy to develop a
pessimistic attitude. I, being the eternal optimist, can see good conquering evil all the
time. when someone behaves irresponsibly and wrong, there is always another act of
responsibility to counter act the bad one."
Kristy Davidson, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
"In conclusion, the irresponsible activities of the day are
glaringly apparent and hard to miss. However, good and responsible people do exist in the
world. It is important to recognize these out-numbered acts in hope that others will see
them. When people see these kind and considerate activities, maybe they will also do what
is right."
Tiffany Salyer, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
"It is a parent's responsibility to give their child
direction. Teaching a child about drugs is one of the most important responsibilities that
a parent has. Drugs are becoming more serious among younger children. In my little
community, there are many young people that do drugs. They do not realize what they are
getting themselves into, until it is too late. Without the parents telling their children
about drugs, they may learn it from someone else."
Dixie Sybert, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
"Being a parent is a
very tough job. Some parents can take the pressures and some tear apart when the rope gets
too tight. It all depends on your own responsibilities and how you handle everything in
your life. A person should always be sure that they are ready for a family before they
start one. This is a huge responsibility and it takes a lot of time and effort."
Dixie Sybert, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
"During a recent church service, several cars were broken
into, stripped of valuables, and vandalized. There have also been increasing cases of car
theft and homes have been burglarized in our community.…tire slashings have become
more prominent. Someone's tire was slashed just last Friday night at the basketball game.
Another frequent type of vandalism is destroying or damaging school property, private
property, or public property. Many teenage boys in our community enjoy drinking while
driving up and down country roads out of control, and they shoot anything that moves or
that they can see from the road. This form of violence, called poaching, is generally
accepted by our community. For years, if disagreements arise between two people at school
their solution is to fight it out. They turn to violence as their answer. Sometimes those
who do not even want to fight get beat up because they are not aggressors. The main reason
this continues is because too many times the aggressor does not receive just punishment
for his or her actions."
Eli Jones, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
"A problem facing our youth today is that many feel they are
not smart enough to succeed in school. This causes excessive stress, and poorly managed
time. They begin to put other activities ahead of their schoolwork. Their irresponsibility
leads them to ultimately stop doing homework and begin finding easier shortcuts to getting
good grades. They will cheat to get the grades they want. They do not seem to care if they
learn the material. They just want to pass the class. In the October 1995 issue of
Reader's Digest, a poll revealed that eight out of ten high-school students said they have
either cheated at one time or do presently cheat. Students will go to any length to gain
an edge and get the grades they want. Programmable calculators, cheat sheets; both written
on paper or the body, equations written on the bills of baseball caps, and the old method
of looking off of someone else's paper are all ways students have successfully cheated.
Also, having an unobservant teacher helps to enable students to get away with their
cheating much more often. Somehow, we need to put a stop to this irresponsible behavior.
Students need to learn that they will not be able to cheat their way through life.
Ultimately, they will reach a point of accountability where they lack necessary skills to
advance."
Ben Sachs, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
"Responsible is being able to fill various important roles as
occasion demands."
Jeremiah Privett, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
"In a tiny town in Maine, the need had never arisen for a
fire truck. However, an eighty-one year old man took it upon himself to obtain one. After
spending $4800 on an old engine and a water-tank truck at an auction he built a garage to
keep him fueled and ready to go. This caution paid off when a neighbor's house caught on
fire, and the man and his daughter were the only ones around to control the flames until
the regular fire-fighters from a neighboring town could arrive."
Tiffany Salyer, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
"A responsible person is one who is accountable for his or
her actions, kind, polite, and helpful to others. Responsible people look to the long-term
goals, and not always what is easy and provides immediate satisfaction."
Ben Sachs, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
"A fifteen and sixteen-year-old should have a job to help
them get ready for the real world. This responsibility will teach a child about the value
of a dollar. When I was fifteen, I had to have a summer job. It was not a bad job and I
made $1,900.00 in one summer. That was a lot of money all for myself."
Dixie Sybert, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
"A responsible person takes care of themselves, but an
irresponsible person doesn't. Healthy people are responsible."
Ryan Day, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
"Positive school assembly programs featuring these role
models could contribute to school discipline. It especially helps if the speakers are
well-known professional athletes, actors, or singers who have strong moral messages."
Eli Jones, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
"Here is the story of Steve Smith, a basketball player in the
NBA. Steve could not find the proper way to say good-bye to his late mother. In her
memory, he decided to donate $2.5 million to his alma mater, Michigan State University, to
help build the Clara Bell Smith Student Athlete Academic Center. This center will provide
academic aid to all college athletes on campus so that these athletes will not forget the
real reason for attending college in the first place. If every athlete could use their
money and power in such kind acts, then maybe professional athletes would not have such
bad reputations.
Kristy Davidson, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
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