Eighth-grader places first in essay contest
Shannon Kelly knew just what to say when her eighth-grade English teacher called the other week, asking what she should buy her class with $200.
A trip to Siberia, said the 14-year-old, a student at River City Middle School in Post Falls.
No, this is serious, replied her teacher, Katherine Kosareff. Shannon had placed first for her age group in the annual statewide essay contest sponsored by the Idaho Forest Products Commission. Part of her award included $200 for her class, to be spent how she sees fit.
“So I got more serious and said ‘We’re going to a movie,’ ” Shannon said. Shannon’s class will travel to the Imax movie theater in Spokane to celebrate her success in the essay contest.
“Everyone in the classroom thought I was going to take them to some nerdfest, but I was like ‘Heck no,’ ” Shannon said.
Shannon’s essay was titled “Preservation of the Gem State’s Forests” and discussed ways to keep Idaho’s forests healthy and full. Shannon said her experience on the school’s forestry team helped her write the essay.
“I got pretty in touch with timber issues,” she said.
Shannon’s essay said the best way to manage the forests and care for the timber population is to check the health of all trees, cut down the diseased, then cut other trees in only designated areas, and in predetermined, annual amounts.
“Imagine how Idaho’s forests will look in the future if these ideas are used,” Shannon wrote. “The forests will be full of life.”
Along with $200 for her English class, Shannon received a $100 savings bond. She hopes to use it to buy a car.
“I’m going to be saving it for a while,” Shannon said.
This isn’t the first time Shannon’s been honored for her writing. During the school’s Veterans Day assembly this year, Shannon read an essay she wrote for class on citizenship in America. She says it’s likely she’ll pursue a career in research and writing.
“I’m probably going to be a historian, author or journalist,” she said.
Kosareff has been assigning her students to write essays for the contest for several years. This is the first year a student of hers has placed statewide.
“This is really cool because in North Idaho we usually don’t have a winner,” Kosareff said. “I had a girl get honorable mention about eight years ago.”
Shannon said the attention she’s been getting has been pretty cool. Her accomplishment is noted on the homepage of the school district Web site, and she’s been interviewed by a student reporter for the River City Middle School newspaper, The Titan Times.
“My friends think it’s pretty cool,” Shannon said.
The contest is divided into four parts: kindergarten through second grade, third through fifth grade, sixth through eighth grade and ninth through 12th grade.
Nora Kennedy, a student at Skyway Elementary School, earned honorable mention for the third through fifth grade age group this year. Bernadette Loibl, a student at Timberlake High School in Spirit Lake, received honorable mention in the high school student age group.
State scholarships
High school seniors still have time to apply for the scholarships mentioned here two weeks ago. The state Board of Education recently implemented a new online system that allows students to apply for the scholarships by filling out just one application on the Internet. The deadline is Jan. 15.
Visit www.boardofed.idaho.gov/scholarships to apply for scholarships including the Robert R. Lee Idaho Promise scholarships, the Governor’s Challenge Scholarship and the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship.
The Board of Education recently unanimously endorsed a proposal to the Legislature asking for more financial aid for Idaho’s students. Idaho offers merit-based scholarships like the ones mentioned above but very little need-based aid, according to a news release from the board. Idaho gives about $17 per student in need-based aid compared with the national average of $387.
The board’s proposal calls for more than 650 high school graduates to receive up to $3,000 in state aid to further their education beginning in 2007.