Highlights from the 2017 NSCW Essay Contest

Stella Criswell, 8th grader from Lincoln Christian School, shares her essay, "A Student's School Choice."

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Congratulations to the winners of the 2017 Nebraska School Choice Week Essay Contest!

Abby Herrick - "School with a Purpose"
Sophie Timmerman - "Nebraska School Choice Week 2017"
Stella Criswell - "A Student's School Choice"

The following are excerpts from some of the many insightful essays contributed to the contest:

"Living Word focuses us on understanding what we learn and enjoying it instead of reading study guides and not knowing how to apply it to real life. I feel that I am mastering mathematics for the first time. Although having a purpose to learn is important, being motivated to be inspired is also important."
-Abby H.

"I believe my school, Lincoln Christian, is the best choice for me for four reasons. First of all, the curriculum is based on Christian values. This affirms my faith as I grow older and instills values in me that my family and I want in my life. I feel strongly that every single family who wants this kind of education for their child should be able to attain it."
-Stella C.

"All kids should have the freedom to choose their school according to their needs and rate of learning. A child should never be forced to go to a school they feel uncomfortable going to, especially if the school doesn't fit the necessities the child has. All kids should be able to learn at their own rate so they understand what they learn and so they can have a better, brighter future."
-Sophie T.

"I am thankful that my family made the best choice for me. I am in the best place I can be and I have developed my strengths, improved my weaknesses, and gained a well-rounded life style. This is the greatest place for me to learn and I am thankful that I got the choice to come to this school. I think that everyone should have the choice to decide where to get an education that best fits them."
-Grace S.

"My school only has thirty-two pupils and two teachers including the preschoolers who have their own teacher. Other schools have about twenty to thirty kids per teacher. Also at my school we have five hours a day so the teachers can spend about 10 minutes per child depending on the day or absences so that we can learn at our own pace. Since we do not have seven hours a day like most schools we get to spend more time with family which is very important."
-Isabelle M.

"Our principal, Sister Anne Joelle, said our buddy project, which pairs older grades with younger grades to promote school unity, is a great community builder for our school. Sister Anne Joelle said that the thing she loves most about her job is working with the kids and helpful staff, loving teachers, and supportive parents. When I ask around the school who the kids like the best for teachers, the answers are completely mixed. They are given so much support by the school family. We love them very much."
-Connor T.

"It is important for everyone to have the ability to choose their own school because if you are at a school you prefer, you are more likely to enjoy school. Having multiple options available for schools will also make those schools better. 'Choice creates the conditions necessary to spur schools to implement reforms and strategies that work--or risk losing students and their money.'"
-Clare B.

"My final reason this school benefits me is that it gives me opportunities to experience the world first hand outside the classroom. We have given back to our community by donating our time at the local food bank, visited a working farm, and recently toured a new building being constructed. This has definitely opened my eyes to different way to choose life paths. By learning to give of myself, I have gained the tools to move forward with my educational path."
-Abby H.

"As students and teachers we work hard to fix a problem. We once spent a whole class period making a way to do better at listening. I know I can count on them whenever I need their help."
-Jared C.

"Without school choice, many students would be forced to go to school in a learning environment that does not suit them and that does not make them learn to the best of their abilities, but with the freedom of school choice, so much more is possible, and so many more kids can get the education that they want. So, as Malala Yousafzai said, 'Let us pick up our books and our pencils. They are our most powerful weapon.'"
-Lucia R.

"...I get the opportunity to work with students of all ages. Using this technique helps the oldest students build leadership skills when helping the younger students. I specifically have grown in problem solving, and while the older students are learning, the younger students can learn too. When the older students are teaching, the younger students pick up on facts at the older students' level. So it's a win win for everyone!"
-Autumn B.

"Our school family is the best because we love each other and see Christ in everyone. One example is that when our band teacher, Mrs. Karen Murphy, died on January 13, 2017, our school family responded with love and sympathy. For instance, special prayers were said for her the morning of her death. Each class has started a journal of memories that will be compiled and given to the family."
-Connor T.

"Some kids need more one-on-one time. I'm good at reading because I have had a lot of one-on-one time with my teacher. She has explained language in a way I can understand well and it has improved my skills a lot. Since there are less kids, we each have more teacher time. She has the time to get to all of us."
-Olivia L.

"Sometimes people don't want the kind of school their taxes pay for. If you're paying taxes you should be able to decide what the money goes to. I'm thankful my family made the best choice for my education even though their tax money can't help pay for it. My school is definitely the best choice for me!"
-Liberty S.

"At our school, we learn how to clean up ourselves because if we don't clean up it looks like a tornado hit half of our school. On the other hand, another fun experience is that we get to cook because there is a kitchen in our school. We have made Brazilian hot chocolate and frosted our own cookie shaped as Antarctica (we were learning about glaciers, northern lights, icebergs, and ice shelfs, so we used M&Ms and chocolate chips to make them). It was really fun! HELLO, those seem like life skills to me."
-Avery L.

"I go to St.Teresa's Catholic School...and I get to learn religion, which I would not be able to learn if I went to public school. The freedom of choice allows me to go to the school of my choice that works best for me, and for other kids, the school that works best for them."
-Lucia R.

Thank you to all the students who entered the 2017 Nebraska School Choice Week Essay Contest!