Save The Planet Essay Contest 2020

Winner of the $1000 Essay Award was Jennalee Meck, a junior at  in 2020 at PCHS.  You can read her essay “The Way to Waste Reduction through Minimalistic Mentalities and Recycling” here.
There were 28 entries and they were all notable.  We had such a hard time deciding on the winner, that we have awarded $100 to 5 runners up in no order:  Charity Warder, Haylee Smith Hayhurst, Sienna Bircher, Macaden Taylor, and Savanah McMillion. Their essays and linked videos are below.

Jennalee Meck’s winning essay and video.
Charity Warder’s essay and video.
Haylee Hayhurst’s essay and video.
Sienna Bircher’s essay and video.
Macaden Taylor’s essay and video
Savanah McMillion’s essay  (please note her video is not available)

Our original plan was to present the award at an Earth Day event, April 22, at the Hillsboro Library.  The award was available to young Pocahontas County residents of high school age, and they had to send an entry form in by January 15.  A few forms were received in the mail, but Eight Rivers Council is thankful to teachers at PCHS and especially Jan Jonese for their help with submissions.  Many of the essays concerned trash – plastic, recycling, the landfill, etc. and we could be an example to the world if Pocahontas County residents would follow suggestions from our young people.  Other topics were cowpots (planting containers made from dried manure), road salt, outdoor wood furnaces, renewable energy, logging, the destructive impacts of cars and roads, and various impacts to water quality from litter to pipelines.  The Pocahontas Times   published Jennalee’s essay in the Earth Day paper and more of the essays in future issues.