LES essay contest winners announced

Lovell Elementary School recently held an essay contest at the school in honor of Red Ribbon Week, held annually to help students make healthy choices.

This year, the school held the essay contest with the theme “gratitude.” Contest winners were:

Kindergarten – Andrew Jensen, Aubry Carabay and Atticus Brantley; first grade – Max Walker, Aiyana Allen and Adelaide Mendenhall; second grade – Tevin Anderson, Cyrus Carpenter and Jacob Rooney; third grade – Kristen Johnson, Daniel Henderson and Sailor Clark; fourth grade – Lucas Gittlein, Cotey Smith and Kinsley Shidler; fifth grade – Clara Sanders, Logan Wheeler and Madelyn Craw.

Here are a few of the winning essays:

I am grateful for the military because my mom worked there and did dangerous stuff.

Andrew Jensen

Kindergarten, Mrs. Wolvington

Gratitude is showing love to our world. First, I am grateful for my family. Next, I am grateful for the air that we breath. Last, I am grateful for God. I am thankful for everyone no matter look or style.

Jacob Rooney

Second grade, Mrs. Hessenthaler

A few things I am thankful for is my extraordinarily kind peers and specials teachers.

Gratitude opens many doors in life to making friends and meeting new people. You should always have gratitude for other people and what you have. Therefore, always have gratitude!

Lucas Michael Gittlein

Fourth grade, Mrs. Hinckley

Gratitude is an important thing in life. It means to be thankful and appreciate everything around you. A few words to describe gratitude are thankful, grateful, humble, tidy, and generous. Gratitude is important because it shows we care about others. When you show gratitude it impacts others by making them feel loved and appreciated.

One way I show gratitude is by thanking people when they hold the recess doors for me. Gratitude makes us a better person by impacting our social interaction. Some basic things to be grateful for are food, water, school, shelter, pets, family, and comfy beds. I am grateful for my home, family, dog, food, water, school, and my teachers. Gratitude shows others that we are interested or care about them and listening to what they say.

That is why gratitude is important for everyone to practice daily. Everyone needs to be grateful for everything they are given, whether they like it or not. If we choose to be grateful in life, we tend to be more successful in what we do, and how we act, and what we say. Gratitude is an amazing thing because if just makes us and everyone around us a better, kinder person.

Madelyn Craw

Fifth grade, Ms. Howard

If you say thank you when someone gives you something or opens the door for you, what do you feel? It is gratitude. Gratitude is thanking the positive things like people, places, and things in your life.

One reason gratitude is important is because it helps your mind. When you feel or express gratitude, your brain releases dopamine and serotonin. These are neurotransmitters that give you happiness and satisfaction. This is what is happening when you are happy. For example, you can give someone appreciation or even just a smile, which gives you happiness, gratitude, and positivity; same with those you show gratitude and appreciation to.

Another reason we should show gratitude is because of how others feel when you show them your appreciation for them. One simple act of kindness or gratitude can affect an entire person’s life, or even a whole community, given how much it can spread. If you know someone or something in your life that has done something you liked or felt good about, you can easily give them that feeling back by giving them appreciation. If you liked that feeling, you can give it to others with appreciation.

One final reason gratitude has an impact on our lives is that it is a strong pillar in relationships. In relationships, we often gift others with smiles, compliments, encouragement, and physical gifts. If someone gives you something like these, you would usually be happy, or grateful. Not showing it can have a negative effect on your relationship. If you do show it, though, your friend/family will be encouraged to keep giving, and that could change the entire world because of the good example you are.

Gratitude is always especially important in life, relationships, and lots more. Showing gratitude is a great sign of good relationships, good moods, etcetera. If you show gratitude, you are likely to have more friends, better earlier relationships, happiness, and positivity. This is why gratitude is important in our lives.

Clara Sanders

Fifth grade, Mrs. Nixon