National Winning Essays

Kindergarten through Second Grades
Theme: I Make Peace When I...

I am happy with myself. By being happy with myself, I bring joy to others. I try helping people in any way I can. I bring gloves to school for the needy and goodies for the Snack Angels. If I can put a smile on someone’s face, I feel I am making peace.

Allison M. Kyte, 2^nd Grade (Age 7)
Our Lady of Hope/St. Luke School, Baltimore, MD
Teacher: Mrs. Price

I make peace when I do not make fun of other people. I accept other people even if they are different than me.

Mayra Perez, 1^st Grade (Age 7)
Linwood Elementary, Oklahoma City, OK
Teacher: Susan Sutter

I make peace when I see people fighting and ask, "what are you fighting about?" If it was over a ball, then I’ll say, "Let’s share the ball by kicking it to each other." I also make peace when I tell my brain, "Calm down, Robby" when I’m feeling mad.

Robert Price, 1^st Grade (Age 6)
Our Lady of Hope/St. Luke School, Baltimore, MD
Teacher: Mrs. Janet Meyers

I make peace when I help my friends get along. Sometimes my friends fight when we swing on my swingset. When I have two friends come over, all three of us want to swing but there are only two swings. So I say, "I have an idea! Why don’t two people swing and one person slide?" Everyone smiles and keeps playing.

Courtney Rubeck, 1^st Grade (Age 6)
Apollo Elementary, Titusville, FL
Teacher: Mrs. Jasczcak

National Winning Essays

Third through Eighth Grades
Theme: How I Can Help Make a Peaceful Millennium

How can I help make a peaceful millennium? I can make friends with everyone, (or at least try). I can share things with people. I can break up fights. I could go on and on naming things that I could do, but the main thing I could do is not judge people. Don’t judge people from their races, clothes, and how they talk. I think everyone has something they dislike about themselves, for example I don’t like wearing glasses, but I have to because I’m blind without them. I could name at least one million other things I don’t like about me. Judging people hurts their feelings, and makes them think negative thoughts about themselves. Making fun of people is like judging them. What I could do to stop it is tell my friends not to judge anyone, and they could tell their other friends not to judge people and so on, and that’s how I would make a peaceful millennium.

Jordan Guss, 5^th Grade (Age 10)
Levi Fry School, Texas City, TX
Teacher: O. Selman

To make our world more peaceful we should understand pacifism. Pacifism is the opposition to war and violence. Pacifists are people that look for peaceful ways to solve their problems. I think I could be a pacifist by trying to understand people. I could try to understand their religion, their problems, their history, and not judge them. I could treat them as equals. I could make peace by treating people fairly and not cause problems. I could be thankful for what I have and set a good example for little children. If everyone treats everyone how they would like to be treated the world will become a better place.

Chelsea Tierney, 5^th Grade (Age 11)
Loudon Elementary, Loudon, NH
Teacher: Kathleen Van Wagner

How can I help make a Peaceful Millennium. In order to help make a peaceful world, I would start with myself, Kendrika Edwards. In order to make peace I must be a peacemaker. I am a person who makes peace and not strife. I love my world and my country. We should all be working now for the world peace. I will let it begin with me and next with my country the great U.S.A. Our country is at peace in the millennium. We have U.S. soldiers around the world keeping peace. They are doing their part and so should we.

Kendrika Edwards, 5^th Grade (Age 10)
Woodland Forrest School, Tuscaloosa, AL
Teacher: Mrs. Pritchett

One thing that I could do is try to be a lot nicer to my friends. I know that will help a lot. Another thing that I could do is pick up around parks and everywhere that people have littered. I want to make a peaceful millennium because I know it is the right thing to do. Another thing that I could do is pray for the people that are starving and for the people at St. Jude’s hospital that need help. I am also going to do what my family tells me to do and when they tell me to do it. That is how I hope to make a peaceful millennium.

Skylar Haines, 3^rd Grade (Age 8)
Walker Elementary, Northport, AL
Teacher: Mrs. Madison

I can help make a peaceful millennium by encouraging my people and my surroundings to make better choices. For example, I’ve been watching the news lately and lots of kids my age have been bringing weapons to school like knives, guns and alcohol. I’m going to try to encourage them to stop, because most of them do it because they think it’s cool. Another way I can help make a peaceful millennium is be kind, nice, honest and respectful. I can also treat people how they want to be treated, and don’t say anything at all if I can’t say something nice. Last of all, I can just be myself. (Hopefully myself is everything I just wrote).

Crystal Lister, 5^th Grade (Age 11)
Levi Fry School, Texas City, TX
Teacher: Olivia Selman

Florida Winning Essays

Kindergarten through Second Grades
Theme: I Make Peace When I...

I make peace when I show kindness to my friends and family members. I make peace when I help people. I also make peace when I don’t fight with other people. I make peace when I give people things. I also make peace when I share things. Peace is cool.

Elizabeth McBriant, 2^nd Grade (Age 7)
Cape View Elementary, Cape Canaveral, FL
Teacher: (unknown)

I make peace when I care for my family. Hugging Mom and Dad makes me feel calm and peaceful. I also make peace when I care for my horse Merlin. I feed her carrots and bathe her. Then I go for a peaceful quiet ride.

Harley Stiles, 1^st Grade (Age 6)
J. Allen Axson Montessori, Jacksonville, FL
Teacher: Naomi Bradford

I make peace when I meet someone new and we become friends. I make peace when I learn about people around the world. No matter where they live, they are just like you and me. Most of all, I make peace when I am thoughtful of others.

Joshua Keels, 1^st Grade (Age 6)
Apollo Elementary School, Titusville, FL
Teacher: Mrs. Miller

Florida Winning Essays

Third through Eighth Grades
Theme: How I Can Help Make a Peaceful Millennium

There are many different ways to make peace in the new millennium. The problem is there are more people in the world and many more different people. So there is going to be more crime, yet at the same time there will be more peace. One way to make a more peaceful millennium is to be more kind to other people. After all, peace has to start with one person. Another way to bring peace is to stop fighting between my brother and I that would bring world peace. One way to make a more peaceful millennium is to be more kind to other people. After all, peace has to start with one person. Another way to bring peace is to stop fighting between my brother and I. That would bring world peace. Another global way is to make many peace treaties with bordering countries. One of the major problems with peace is religion. The only way to solve this is to have more tolerance for other religions. Remember peace has to start with someone. So why not it start with you. If you just stand around waiting for peace it won’t happen.

Neil Holloway, 6^th Grade (Age 11)
St. Mark’s Academy, Cocoa, FL
Teacher: Mrs. Gehm

We all have ideas of how "We Can Help Make a Peaceful Millennium. I have a lot of fabulous ideas, too! First, I can start by taking time to help my school, and I can help my community. I can join peace clubs, and I can help my family. Finally, I can help by influencing others with a peaceful example. First, I can take time to help my school. For example, I can help clean the classrooms and outside areas, and I can donate money. I can collect foods for the hungry, poor, and to hospitals for the ill. Also, I can help teachers with their students. Next, I can help my community by picking up trash around my house and along the road and grass. I can donate money for fundraisers around my community. If you heard about the "BIG HELP" from Nickolodeon, you can call me the "BIG GIRL COMMUNITY HELPER"!!!!!!!!!! Furthermore, I can join peace clubs. The peace club will help me earn good grades, and it will prevent me from even thinking about violence, profanity, and of course bad tempers. To me that is a goal for a peaceful millennium. Finally, I can help my family by helping out with chores. When my mother and father are busy, I can help my baby sister Eboni with her homework that she says is hard when it is very easy!!!! My top goal is to influence others with peace. I will and can strive to teach and show others to the right path (the clean path) that means drug free, caring, and kind. To conclude, these are my top five goals on how I can help make a peaceful millennium. I accomplish these by helping my school, helping my community, joining peace clubs, helping my family and influencing others with peace. Now, tell me how can you help make a peaceful millennium!!!!!!!!!!!!

Michelle Martin, 4^th Grade (Age 9)
Crestview Elementary, Miami, FL
Teacher: Mrs. Holden

How can I make a peaceful millennium? I think that some ways I could help would be to go and sing to the elderly and make friends with them because they are cooped up all the time. Also when people are in fights I could try and get them out of it because it could start a war. I could also stop fights at school or at home by not even getting involved in them. I could protest against ugly, horrible shows on TV. I could stop racism by becoming friends with all kinds of people. I could spread the word about this essay and I could help in the Pasta for Pennies Program. These are some of the ways to make a peaceful millennium. If we all give a friendly "hello" to our peers we could change the face of the earth forever.

Michelle Salem, 5^th Grade (Age 10)
Academie Da Vinci, Dunedin, FL
Teacher: Mrs. Ulrich

The new Millennium is here and I think this is the perfect time to work even more towards peace. There are three thoughts I have that will contribute to a more peaceful Millennium. The first is for people to have more free time to just enjoy life. If people were to take time to enjoy life, they would be happier and calmer. Also, if people were to stop hating what they don’t understand, there wouldn’t be so much hatred toward each other. Acceptance of others is a peaceful act. Finally, if people felt more accepting of each other and less stress in their lives maybe it would decrease violence. In conclusion, there are ways a person can take right now to be a more peaceful person,. As a famous song states, "Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me."

Blair Wallace, 5^th Grade (Age 11)
St. Mark’s Academy, Cocoa, FL
Teacher: Mrs. Gehm

"We are the young, the children of our school. We hold tomorrow in our hands." Those are the first few words to my school song. Most people don’t stop to think about those words and what they mean. One day I did and I realized that those words could help us make a peaceful millennium. I think those words mean that we can change tomorrow today. Just by omening a door for someone, picking up a piece of trash, the simplest things can change the whole world. Most people don’t think that by themselves they can make a big difference, especially children. Did you know that one person could make a difference? Other people will catch on to their good behavior. Those are only some of the reasons we can make a peaceful millennium.

Madeline Hickman, 4^th Grade (Age 9)
Suntree Elementary, Melbourne, FL
Teacher: H. Keisocker

How can I help make a peaceful millennium? Well, here are my ideas. I could go to nursing homes to cheer up old people, and I could bake cookies for our neighbors. By going to nursing homes, I bring joyous feelings to the elderly, while I receive sensations of harmony and love. One time I went to a home and saw a lady who looked blue. When I walked over to say hello, her face brightened up just like a rising sun in a misty morning. I knew I was a serene part of her day. Baking cookies is one of my favorite things to do, so I decided I could put this talent into helping bring peace. Once, when I baked my irresistible chocolate chip peanut butter cookies, and brought them to our neighbors, we started a new friendship. Remember...People loving people brings peace.