12 Utah Youths "Do the Write Thing"
Apr 28, 2009
Students Honored at Youth Anti-Violence Awards Luncheon April 30, 2009 at the Governor's MansionSALT LAKE CITY, (April 28, 2009)-"Punches may break bones, but words break souls. They can take the strongest soul and crush it, turn it into an ant under a shoe. Words can ruin hope." wrote eighth grader, Mira Reynolds, one of the finalists in Utah's 2009 Do the Write Thing Challenge.
On Thursday, April 30, 2009, the Utah Board of Juvenile Justice (UBJJ) will honor 11 middle school students for their written anti-violence entries to Utah's Ninth Annual Do the Write Thing Challenge. The awards luncheon will be held at the Governor's Mansion located at 603 East South Temple Street from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Utah's finalists are:
Braden Bronson, Fort Herriman M.S., Riverton
Zack Dougher, Fort Herriman M.S., Harriman
Sage Eastburn, Highland Jr., Ogden
Skye Mooney, Treasure Mountain M.S., Park City
Kyler Nielson, Desert Hills M.S., Washington
Mira Reynolds, Highland Jr., Ogden
Mauricio Robles, Northwest M.S., Salt Lake City
Jackie Scheider, Treasure Mountain M.S., Park City
Emily Wade, Desert Hills M.S., St. George
Devan Webb, Desert Hills M.S., St. George
Hannah Wilkey, Highland Jr., Ogden
This national event, sponsored in part by the Kuwait-America Foundation, invites 7th and 8th grade students to write how violence has affected their lives and what they can do to prevent violence in their community. School districts reported that more than 1,550 students from across Utah participated in classroom discussions about youth violence with more than 770 students submitting essays. The finalists selected by UBJJ were then forwarded to Utah's twelve VIP judges; Ms. Utah Kayla Barclay, Brent and Bonnie Beesley, Attorney Laurie Hart, Robbie Russell of REAL Salt Lake, Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, Olympian Bill Schuffenhauer, Judge Andrew Valdez, and Fox 13 News' Hope Woodside.
Utah's top two writers will be recognized with other finalists at the Do the Write Thing National Recognition Ceremony in Washington, D.C. this July. They will meet with members of Congress to discuss the problem of youth violence and attend a reception hosted by the Ambassador to the United States for the State of Kuwait. A book containing the students' writings will be placed in the Library of Congress.
"She has shed the cloak of 'the victim' and embraced life finally as one who is in control of her own destiny," said the teacher of a former essay winner. One the VIP judges said the essays are "sobering, yet inspiring."
