Caleb Buck was awarded the National Finalist spot for Utah’s Annual Do the Write Thing Competition, which is aimed at inviting youth to consider the causes, effects, and solutions for youth violence. Along with winning the National Finalist award, Caleb also received a $500 scholarship. This prestigious award comes with having his winning poem published in Washington’s Library of Congress. An excerpt of Caleb’s poem includes:
Hurting others grows on you like a vine
It digs into your skin and drinks from the river of blood that pumps in your veins
Being a bully isn’t just an action or a decision.
Once you start bullying it becomes who you are.
But you don’t have to stay a bully.
That decision is on you
Likewise, Alysa Evans was also awarded a State Finalist spot. She received a $300 scholarship, and she was one of the top 0.5% of students to submit an essay to receive this prestigious award as well. Over 2,000 students across Utah participated in this challenge, and we are so excited and proud of our Union Bobcats who received these awards. An excerpt of Alysa’s essay includes:
Youth violence. It happens to people. It happens to the people around you, but you don’t know that because the kids who never talk, who never answer questions in class, the shy ones that sit in the corner when there’s free time, and the ones who feel insecure about themselves. Some just think that they’re a bit on the shy side. It’s only like this because of bullying. Someone has been affected by it somehow, whether they were bullied, the bystanders, or even the bully.
