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Spring is my favorite time of year -- not only because the sun is shining, the snow is melting, and the birds are singing, but because I get to read all the wonderful essays that come in for our annual Listen to a Life Contest.
Yes, there are great prizes in this contest like a ThinkCentre computer and Books Are Fun gift certificates. But the real value is in the interaction the contest prompts. To enter, a young person simply has to listen to a life. A student 8-18 interviews an older adult 50 years or over about their life experiences -- about their dreams and goals, obstacles they overcame, and how they found hope -- and submits a 300-word essay. The theme of the contest was inspired by the Dream book, which was my dream for more than five years as I worked on it. Dream: A Tale of Wonder, Wisdom & Wishes has won 11 national awards, including an International Reading Association Children's Choice (books are read and voted on by 10,000 students across the US to choose the ones they like best), a Teachers' Choice, and an iParenting Award. It's also become a popular gift book for a birth, birthday, graduation or other life milestone. In fact, right now it's featured on the graduation gift display in bookstores across the country. Now there's a dream come true for me!
But back to the contest. We continue to get such positive feedback from students, teachers, parents and grandparents across the country. Says Kathy Webb at Horace Mann Middle School in Wisconsin, "I assigned the life interview to my eighth grade students as part of a career unit that we were completing. I felt it was a wonderful opportunity for them to learn about the dreams and goals of someone from an older generation. In fact, when they were finished, many students said they had learned information about their grandparents that they hadn’t known before. Thank you for giving us such a great opportunity!"
Marie Mentrup at St. Charles School in Missouri says, "Thank you for such a fine contest. Our students learned so much from their elders!"
Says Ryan Elizabeth Donaghy, "a proud fourth grade teacher of a very talented group of students" at Bretton Woods Elementary School in New York, "My students were very excited to enter your contest. They have been working so hard and putting their best efforts forward, while preparing for stressful state exams. They all agreed they loved interviewing their grandparents and grandfriends and learned many things they never knew."
Because this is an annual contest, each year more and more teachers encourage their whole class, and even their whole school, to enter. Camille Parisi of Lakeland Copper Beech Middle School in New York enters her students every year. "As always, the students learned much about their own families as well as those of others. Thanks once again for a meaningful and interesting writing contest."
Last year I wrote about the delightful entries from Waterloo Elementary School in Indiana. The third-grade students visited the Betz Nursing Home and interviewed some of the residents. One boy described the Betz Nursing Home as "the coolest place on earth." I thought that was cool! Not to be outdone, one of this year's students described the field trip this way: "It was the greatest field trip in the galaxy, no the universe!" Teacher Shelly Kennedy's students gathered several snippets of life wisdom from their grandfriends: "don't fight"; "be a good mom, good wife, good grandma, and don't smoke"; "if you want to be a responsible citizen, you have to help people if they fall and get hurt -- help them up, don't just walk right past them." One of Denise Grider's students, Dustin Cupp, interviewed 80-year-old Mary Christlieb: "She was in a wheel chair with a blanket on. She went to school. She likes to read books. She also likes to paint. She makes crafts, too. I asked her if she liked to have pets and she did not hear me so I said it over and she said yes. Then it was time to go. I think I will see Mary again and have fun with her again." Kristin Russell interviewed another resident who admitted that she "did not like her mother-in-law. But don't tell anyone that I said that because I told her I wouldn't tell anyone." Kristin, your grandfriend's secret is safe with us! And then there was a true love story told by Grandma Irene Riggs and written by grandchild Kailoni Somkit. Writes Kailoni: "Once upon a time my Grandma met the man of her dreams. Their eyes met face to face. Okay, so I'm exaggerating a little bit! They didn't exactly stare into each other's eyes, but they did do the dishes together and love was in the air! It got to my grandma and grandpa and they fell madly and passionately in love. What a romantic moment! They got married and were married for a long time."
After all of that, I certainly hope you understand why reading through these essays is one of my favorite things to do!
Our winners were chosen from thousands of entries that came in from across the country. Thank you for sharing your personal stories with us -- sometimes playful, sometimes tearful, always appreciated. I say it every year, but I wish we could give everyone a prize. This year, we've tried to honor even more of the great entries we receive. Instead of ten runners-up, we now have twenty. The Grand Prize winner caught our attention for the depth of insight and honesty that came from a student who has worked hard to overcome a lot of challenges in his life, and has learned from the example of his grandmother. We wish grandson and grandmother both well in the future.
I would also like to thank all the people who make this contest possible. There are the teachers, parents, grandparents, and grandfriends who encourage and support every young person who enters. There's the ongoing support of a couple of great companies. For generously supplying the contest prizes, I would like to thank Lenovo and Books Are Fun. These companies have supported us from the beginning and have a real commitment to making a difference in the educational community. Then, there's the judging committee. A special thank you for all your hard work and long hours. My "right hand man" remains Jim Barry. He brings wisdom, wit, and heart to the judging process each and every year. I couldn't do this without him!
The next Listen to a Life Contest starts in September. Be sure to check back on this website for all the details. And a word of caution: This year, we had to disqualify a number of strong entries because they either exceeded the 300-word limit or they came in late. Please be careful next year! Make sure you follow all the rules.
Enjoy reading the winning stories from the 2005-2006 Listen to a Life Contest. The Grand Prize winner is followed by the twenty runners-up. The runners-up are presented in no particular order, other than a good reading flow. We hope you'll continue to enjoy all the contests and free resources the Legacy Project website offers. Your participation brings energy and meaning to what we do.
With warm wishes,
Susan V. Bosak
Chair, Legacy Project
Click here to go to the 2005-2006 Listen to a Life Contest Grand Prize winner and the 20 Runners-up.
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