Each year, the United Way’s Special Events committee hosts an essay contest for grades 9-12 for Maconaquah, North Miami and Peru High Schools. The topic of the 2016 United Way Essay contest was, “The way you envision the future can make a difference. The way we choose to spend and invest our money has the power to impact Miami County. What is your vision for the future of Miami County?” This year, Maconaquah High School submitted 285 entries, Peru High School 313 and North Miami High School submitted 51 entries. The United Way’s Special Event committee judged all 649 entries.
The first place winners in each age group received a $10 gift certificate from the Chamber of Commerce and a coupon for a large pizza from Pizza Hut. The second place winners each received a coupon for a personal pan pizza from Marco’s Pizza, and the overall winner received a $100 gift certificate from the Miami County Chamber of Commerce.
Many of the essays that were submitted this year accurately described some of the social challenges that young people experience in a small town, such as a lack of entertainment options and how that leads to boredom. Many of these essays were insightful, suggesting additional shopping or recreation for entertainment that would lead to increased commerce. Other essays described challenges that include substance abuse, mental health issues, diversity and cultural competence, unemployment, underemployment, and the continued need for economic development to compete for scarce resources to promote growth in Miami County. These are all very important issues facing Miami County. It was a difficult decision since all submissions were carefully considered for structure, content, grammar, and whether a creative solution was proposed.
Congratulations to this year’s first place winners: Logan Killian, Peru; Riley McGuire, North Miami; Robert Dunham, Maconaquah; Morgan Wade, Peru. This year’s second place winners were: Caleb Winegardner, Maconaquah; Brevin William Maconaquah; Logan Stanfield, Peru; Drew Thompson, Peru. The overall winner chosen by the Special Events committee was Riley McGuire from North Miami. Congratulations to all the participants!