Story by student reporter, Brianna Parker

Thomas County Central High School students recently competed in the Laws of Life essay contest. Winners were announced in April.

Students in grades 9-12 compete in the contest, sponsored and judged by the Georgia Rotary Clubs. The essay revolves around the choosing of a maxim, quote, or saying. The student must then relate his or her chosen saying to a personal experience.

The ninth-grade winner was Caitlyn Atkinson. Honorable mentions went to Meredith Hurst and Emily Johnson.

“Winning my grade level is something that I did not expect in any way,” Atkinson said. “This year, I've really focused on not only becoming a better writer but strengthening my tone and diction. When I found out I won, I was so excited. Finally writing something worth winning even my grade level was so inspiring to me.”

Her chosen maxim was "Staying positive does not mean things will be okay, rather it is knowing that you will be okay no matter what,” which is a quote from an unknown source. Her essay was about friends and her struggle to find a close friend group until this year.

“Finding people who I could truly trust was hard, but staying positive about the future was even harder,” Atkinson said.

The 10th-grade winner was Cynthia Ramos. Honorable mentions went to Brooklyn Reese and Elizabeth Nix.

Ramos’ chosen quote was "Appreciate someone you have today because that someone might not be around tomorrow," which is a quote from an unknown source. She wrote about a family friend, Imelda, for whom she despised for their age difference. It wasn't until a few weeks before her death that she realized how amazing of a person she was.

Winning for her grade level is “more than just another win” to Ramos.

“It means that an important event in my life was not only a life-changing experience for me, but it can also be used to help someone else going through a similar situation,” she said.

The 11th-grade and school winner was Ansley Alligood. Honorable mentions went to Dylan Hurst, Lynlee Madison Johnson, Hailey Ferrel, and Starla Fortier.

“I enjoy writing, and to see that I won for my grade shows me that I can write pieces for others to enjoy,” Alligood said.

Her essay was about an experience she had hiking up a mountain. She compared the event to how it relates to the everyday struggles in life. The quote she chose was “Life’s a climb, but the view is great,” which is from an unknown source.

The 12th-grade winner was Maggie Martin, who has competed in the contest all four of her high school years.

Her chosen maxim was “I was supposed to be having the time of my life,” which is a quote from poet Sylvia Plath. In her essay, she opened up about her struggle with anxiety due to stress from school work.

“It was very rewarding to have my work praised and finally win,” Martin said.

Junior Hailey Ferrel received an honorable mention for her grade level. She wrote about a time she had a dream about math and told her father about it. In response, her father asked why his kid couldn’t have normal dreams about unicorns. Her response was “Unicorns are for the weak minded,” which she used as the maxim for her essay.

“I don’t think I would want to change anything about my essay,” she said. “I trust that I wrote my best and feel that this essay has showed me that I truly can be whatever I want to be.”