Pacific Middle School Students Win Essay Contest

1st Place Winner
 Mariah Peterson

On Wednesday, three Pacific Middle School students were recognized as winners of the Phil Swanberg Essay Contest.  Phil Swanberg, a life long educator and an active Rotarian, passed away in 2000.  To honor of his work in education and his love for writing, the Rotary Club of Des Moines in 1996 established the Phil Swanberg Essay Contest.  This educational project focuses on middle school age children and provides an opportunity for the students to express their views on a variety of topics.

Each year, 8th grade students from Pacific Middle School in Des Moines are invited to enter the contest.  Throughout the years, the club has received hundreds of essays from applicants who have written incredible and thoughtful essays which have touched on a number of topics, such as societal issues or personal experiences. The winners are chosen based on their ability to express their views in a clear and concise manner through their writing skills. The winners recieve cash prizes raging from $100 - $250 and have the opportunity to read their essays to the Rotary Club of Des Moines and in front of their peers during a special assembly at Pacific Middle School.

The recipients of this year's award are as follows:

1st Place - Mariah  Peterson

2nd Place - Carly Strayer

3rd Place - Olivia Davis

Left to Right: Catherine Carbone-Rogers, Director of Communication and
Community Relations for the Highline School District, Olivia Davis,
Carly Strayer, Mariah Peterson, and Steve Swank, Community Service Chair
for the Rotary Club of Des Moines

The success of the Phil Swanberg Essay Contest is also directly related to the continued effort and support which the Des Moines Rotary Club receives from the Eighth Grade Language Arts staff at Pacific Middle School. Thank you also to Steve Swank, Community Service Chair, for his committment and efforts to inspire students to write!

For more information about this essay contest, please visit www.dmrotary.org.

Photos courtesy of Lisa Meinecke.