Look at These Kids Today--They’re All Right
If you are worried at all about today’s youth, you might find refreshing a look at some of the young people mentioned in this column today.
I start with Katrina Tangen, a senior at Newport Harbor High School. I came across a recent essay she wrote about youth and loved it. She wrote in part:
“The best way to build pride is to provide opportunities for success and responsibility and show true respect for talents of all types. We should do all we can to provide rewards for achievement and incentives to succeed--and give praise where praise is due, even if it is not on the football field or basketball court.”
Tangen, who happens to be her class salutatorian, wrote the essay for the Exchange Club of Newport Harbor. It is titled “Youth . . . Rebuilding Pride in America.” It brought her first place and $100. Her essay was then sent along to the regional Exchange Club contest--for all of California and Nevada--where she won again. This time she picked up a $2,500 scholarship and a three-day cruise to Mexico, plus a chance at the nationals.
Tangen is Harvard-bound in the fall, on the strength of her 4.15 grade point average (extra credit can put you above the perfect 4.0). She’s still unsure what she wants to do in life. But then, isn’t making that decision part of what college is about? I asked Tangen if she felt like a role model for her 13-year-old sister, Heather.
“She’s sometimes a role model for me,” she said. What parent wouldn’t be proud of a graduating senior with an attitude like that toward a sibling?
Katrina Tangen can speak for her generation much better than I can. Here is more of what she wrote:
“Families should spend large amounts of time together and truly communicate. . . . Praise should be plentiful and constructive criticism tactful.”
I felt a little heartburn on that one. How many of us as parents have on occasion been less than tactful, less than constructive, in criticizing our youngsters?
More from Katrina Tangen’s essay:
“Too often, parents expect schools to do their dirty work: Here’s my kid, make her behave, be moral, and be educated.”
“On the flip side,” she says, schools should show “learning as a fun, lifelong process, and treat our kids with the love and respect that they need to develop pride in themselves and others. . . . Curiosity and exploration should be encouraged and room to succeed and to fail broadened.”
Maybe teachers can sometimes learn from students.
The Right Road: Here’s another senior on the right track, who picked up some cash by putting his thoughts on paper. John-Paul Richmond of Capistrano Valley High School in Mission Viejo recently won $500 for an essay he wrote on substance abuse. He wrote:
“You don’t want people telling you what to do. You want to be in control of your life. You end up giving control to a drug.”
Richmond, an honors student who is also on the soccer team, will attend Chapman University in the fall.
Julie Esler, a senior at La Habra High School, wrote about someone she knew who had it made--college football scouts wanted him, he had a car, a good job after school, a great girlfriend and lots of friends:
“Now he has no job, no car, no friends and legal problems, all because of drugs.”
Esler, who is an honors student, was voted her school’s most dedicated cheerleader. She’s a member of a dance team, works after school at the La Habra Drug Emporium and designs clothes in her spare time. She’s headed for Cal State Fullerton.
The essay contest was sponsored by the Americanism Educational League of Buena Park, which has connections to Knott’s Berry Farm.
By the Book: There was a lot of local excitement when San Juan Capistrano eighth-grader Shivani Kadakia became Orange County’s first state spelling bee winner. She went on to place fifth in the nationals recently.
She also picked up a bonus during the national contest. It turns out there were a couple of errors in the spelling manual produced by the Scripps Howard National Bee. Shivani was the only contestant to catch them and notify officials. The Scripps Howard people gave her a special award for it.
Apple for the Teacher: At Muir Fundamental Elementary School in Santa Ana, the teachers can boast about good students. And a couple of youngsters have even brought home the bacon.
Joseph Yanez and Natasha Ohta, fifth-graders at Muir Fundamental, entered an essay contest sponsored by a private technology support group with the heavy-duty name of Federation of Government Information Processing Council.
The council judged essays from students from seven western states on the subject: how our school would expand its information technology curriculum if it had more money.
In a rare one-two knockout--the first time the top two winners came from the same school--Joseph won first place ($1,000) and Natasha won second ($500). But an added bonus: They won $4,000 for their school. The money will go toward upgrading the school’s computer lab.
Wrap-Up: Here was my favorite line from Katrina Tangen’s essay: “A family should be an oasis of love where members feel at home.”
You won’t find that definition in the dictionary. But it’s a pretty good one, don’t you think?
Jerry Hicks’ column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Readers may reach Hicks by calling The Times Orange County Edition at (714) 966-7823, or by fax to (714) 966-7711 or e-mail to [email protected]
