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Mon., Dec. 15, 1997

Take a break from memorizing algebraic formulas and enter Our Generation’s seventh annual Get Creative writing contest.

You must be between ages 13 and 19. Submit a poem or short story of no more than 1,000 words. You may include drawings or artwork (yours or a friend’s) to accompany your writing.

Send your entry to Our Generation, Get Creative, 999 W. Riverside, Spokane, WA 99201. Be sure to include your full name, age, school, home address and phone number on your entry. Deadline is Dec. 31.

Only one entry per person. Sorry, entries cannot be returned. Winning entries will be published in late January.

If you want to have some fun this winter, check out what the Spokane Parks and Recreation Department is offering teens.

Planned trips include skiing at Silver Mountain and 49 North as well as ski or snowboard school in January. Deadlines to sign up are approaching. For more information, call the Parks’ Department at 625-6200.

Think of a new way to reuse plastic and win up to $3,000.

The American Plastics Council is awarding cash prizes to adults and school-age students who come up with innovative and practical ways to reuse plastic. The top prize is $3,000, and 10 runners up will get $250 each. A special $2,000 award will go to the single most unusual idea.

For complete rules and entry forms call (800) 777-9500 or visit www.plasticsresource.com on the Internet. Entries must be postmarked by Feb. 1.

Past ideas have included spray painting plastic foam peanuts in silver and gold and stringing them as tinsel or garland, decorating plastic food containers and using them for holiday cookies, painting plastic milk jugs, filling them with sand and putting a scented candle inside.

Ideas do not have to be holiday related.

Enter the “My Turn” essay contest and win a $1,000 scholarship. The contest, sponsored by Kaplan Educational Centers and Newsweek, is open to high school students. The contest is designed to give young people a chance to voice their opinions on key issues that will affect their future. For an entry packet, call (800) KAP-TEST or visit www.kaplan.com on the Internet. Deadline for entries is March 27.

The holidays are financially draining, and just about everyone could use a little extra cash. Young Entrepreneur magazine has a few ideas on how to create a service that saves people time, money and stress - and makes you some money. Start a cookie baking service; wrap gifts for a fee; decorate for parties; hold a craft party for neighborhood kids; or chop wood for neighbors. Now is also the perfect time to sell items that you make yourself, the magazine reports.

Local journalism is essential.

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