Two years ago Kayra Clouden was a big winner in the annual Laws of Life character education contest, taking first place for 10th grade students at St. Croix Educational Complex with an essay describing the trauma she experienced from her parents’ divorce and her subsequent move from Maryland to St. Croix.
This year as a senior, she has written about the gift of friendship that she received in her new island home.
She’s hoping for a repeat success, but won’t know how she fared until winners are announced at award ceremonies held in each school district. An award ceremony for students from Charlotte Amalie High School and Ivanna Eudora Kean High School will take place Saturday afternoon at St. Peter Great House on St. Thomas. Students from St. Croix Central High and Educational Complex High School will be honored Sunday afternoon at Government House in Christiansted.
Funded by a grant to the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands by the Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation, the contest is open to all public high school students in the territory and is facilitated by English teachers at the four schools.
At CAHS, “It’s part of the curriculum, so all students in English write the Laws of Life essay,” said English chair and teacher Elaine Jacobs. “It fits in very nicely with the personal experience essay that we do teach.”
Her approach is to have each student make a list of life-changing experiences and then to choose one that stands out as something that helped the student develop a personal life value. She divides her class into small groups, and students discuss their choices with one another as part of the pre-writing process, exploring their subjects.
She also has students read about authors who have written about life-changing events, with the hope that this will inspire the young writers to think about their own experiences in a meaningful way.
“What did it do for them? How did it impact them? How did it change them?” These are questions Jacobs asks the students to consider.
The process in Jacobs’ classes calls for a first draft, a peer review, revision, a one-on-one conference with the teacher and suggestions for improvements, revision, and eventually the final submission.
Sharon Martin, who teaches 10th grade English at CAHS, also takes a hands-on approach.
“I discuss with them what it is all about. Then I give them themes like bravery, courage, perseverance” and ask them for situations that illustrate these qualities.
She writes a sample essay herself as a model, explaining to the students the various steps she went through in composing it. She also shares samples of other students’ efforts.
Like many teachers, Martin said the contest is not just an exercise in composition. It’s a way for students to explore their own feelings, examine events and situations, and come to a better understanding of what is important to them.
“It gets students to evaluate the life lessons that they have learned through their experiences,” said Natasha Liburd, an English teacher at Complex.
“A lot of them go through a lot of struggles but they never really have a chance to share it,” said teacher Alicia Ramos, also from Complex. “They don’t talk about it, and the Laws of Life give them a chance to talk about it publically … They learn self-acceptance also.”
“It gives them a chance to see positive traits they may not even realize they have,” Martin said.
Topics may be simple, real-life experiences, said Wendy Bougouneau Andrews, who teaches Advanced Placement language and 11th grade English at CAHS. For instance, one student explored the importance of keeping an open mind, as she reflected on her initial hostility towards a new classmate and how her feelings changed as she came to know the other student.
Liburd said she encourages her students to “write from your heart.” One motivation is that the contest provides a chance for students to let the public know what they think. Another is the possibility of monetary reward.
There are a full set of cash prizes at each grade level, at each of the four public high schools: $500 for a first place, $250 for second place and $150 for third place. There also are three $50 “honorable mention” awards in each grade at each school. The essays are judged anonymously by a panel of community volunteers.
