Winners of the Kylie Klein Writing Competition

In addition to my weekly blog, over the next four or five weeks I will be posting the winning essays from the 2010 Kylie Klein Writing Competition. Prepare to be amazed by how talented our Utah 6th through 9th graders are! I will try to post a winning entry every day, but because of the nature of my job (and my life!!!!) this may not always be possible. The winners will be watching both my blog and my Facebook, so please comment on their work, especially if you have been (or want to go) to their city of choice.

The subject this year was, "If I could visit anywhere in the world it would be...."
The first place winners all received $100.00, not bad for a three page essay. I only included Utah in the 2010 competition, however for 2011 I plan to include students from Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee and in 2012 I plan to open the Kylie Klein Writing Competition to the entire United States.

(If any of you own a business and are looking for a worthwhile charitable donation, please consider the 2011 Kylie Klein Writing Competition. It is my goal to award $700 in prize money to each participating state, so I need to raise $8400 by next January. I have NO DOUBT I can do it!!!! I appreciate your support, even if it's just a good-luck-with-that email.)

But back to what is important, which is encouraging good writing and education! We need to encourage our youth to stay in school (and stay off drugs) and to learn to write intelligently and passionately. I've noticed that adults with good writing skills, backed by an education seem to have an easier time with life. Although I am not a teacher, I am trying to do my part to encourage students across American (and maybe one day across the globe) to learn these valuable skills that will help them excel in life.

I hope you enjoy these essays as much as I did. And please, take a moment to post your comments. I'm sure the winning students would appreciate your support.