Young writers show off their skills in Rotary contest

There was a field of 60 entries from pupils of secondary schools in the Andover Rotary Club-hosted round of the Rotary Young Writer 2018 contest with the winners announced at an event in the Upper Guildhall on Wednesday last week.

Students had to produce an essay of 500 or so words with their interpretation of the subject title A Different Perspective, with categories of ages 11 to 14-years-old and 15 to 18-years-old.

The winner of the intermediate category was Olivia Schneider, of Rookwood School, while Jensen Hawkes, of Test Valley School, took home the senior category prize and The John Ray Memorial Trophy for the best overall entrant.

The mayor of Test Valley, Councillor Carl Borg–Neal, was there to present the certificates and cups.

The two winning entries will now be sent on for the Rotary District Round, which will cover entries from pupils in Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Chanel Islands, South Wiltshire and East Dorset.

Results:

Intermediate Category

Winner: Olivia Schneider, Rookwood School

Runners Up: Erin Price, John Hanson School and

Georgia Fleet, Rookwood School

Highly Commended: Max Norman, Rookwood School

Leighton Chambers, Winton Academy

Sofia Evanson, Goddard Rookwood School

Senior Category

Winner: Jensen Hawkes, Test Valley School

Runners Up: Rosie Price and Isaac Thorpe,both Rookwood School

Highly Commended: Amelia Miles, Rookwood School

Annabel Anderson, Test Valley School

Annabel Jones, Rookwood School

Winning essays:

The Family of the Planets, by Olivia Schneider

The moment of her birth, the moment that started all life, The Big Bang. It was a moment she would never forget, engrained in her memory forever, the expansion of the Universe which created all life. These moments created her, the Sun, and her reasons for existence.

Mercury was the smallest planet. The Sun named him after a meteorite that had crashed into him whilst he was young. Venus was the Sun’s first daughter. She shared many things in common with her brother Mercury, such as their love for their mother. They both had no satellites but found comfort in being the two closest planets to the Sun. The Sun had only two daughters, Venus and Terra. Terra was the prettiest planet which made Venus extremely jealous! Sometimes when Venus got very envious you could see small explosions on her surface.

If the Sun were to have a favourite child, it would probably be Terra; she was beautiful and even though she had only one satellite she was naturally popular with everyone. Terra was more commonly known as Earth but the Sun thought that Terra, being a prettier name, was more appropriate for such an exquisite planet. Blessed with the ability to sustain life, Terra succeeded in every challenge presented to her. Even when her atmosphere began to weaken, she kept working as hard as possible and continued to thrive.

Mars and Jupiter both lived in the shadow of the brilliant Terra. Mars, the Sun’s second son, was a very angry child and found it very difficult to make friends but throughout all his years he had two satellites who stuck by him. Ares was the name his mother originally gave to him, Mars was his nickname, but he rebelled and changed it permanently to Mars, as an act of defiance. Jupiter was the biggest planet and was given a name his mother thought meant power and strength. Nonetheless, he still felt he had to prove himself to his mother to be seen as half the planet that Terra was. Naturally popular, strong and the biggest out of all the planets, he still didn’t think his mother loved him as much as the perfect Terra.

Saturn, Uranus and Neptune were the most distant and isolated children. Saturn, however, knew he had a special place in his mother’s heart, his beautiful birthmark promised this. He knew he would never have to worry about his mother’s attention, as his rings were visible throughout the galaxy. Uranus found it difficult not only being in the shadow of Terra but also being hidden away behind Jupiter and Saturn. Neptune always knew that he would be alone in this system, even though he had 14 satellites. The Sun knew he felt this way, and often tried to help him, but she feared she would be too late, that he would’ve already closed himself off to anyone.

All grown up, the planets and the Sun live in harmony and love. As they orbit, the planets amuse their mother with stories they create whilst looking out at the Galaxy. To this day, Neptune continues to pretend that he lives outside this Galaxy; Uranus feels forgotten; Saturn lives day by day, hoping that something in this Universe would change; Jupiter hopes that he can be seen from all angles of his orbit and Mars hasn’t had any trouble lately and is finding life easier. Terra lives as always, easy and peaceful although she can feel the tension on her planet’s surface; Venus has never felt closer to her mother and Mercury is still the smallest planet.

Mr President, by Jenson Hawkes

I’ve pressed snooze at least three times now, but the thing that really stirs me into action in the morning is the hate-fuelled desire to silence the drivel spilling out of the TV again. They’re talking about me. I know it. Lurching for the remote with inexplicably greasy fingers, I spy my phone. Hello, old friend. It’s one-all, bleary-eyed journos of the world; I can’t reach my remote, but I can reach my twitter feed. Like a skilled painter, I sketch my tweets to surprise and then colour them with shades of passive aggression and narcissism. That’s the first task completed.

To the stirring stench of hamburgers, I swing my legs out and rub my eyes. Actually - I should stop doing that; people are beginning to make fun of it. My cap sits snugly atop its captured prey as I sing the national anthem in the shower, but I can’t remember the last bit so I think I’ll get out now. Then, the bleating of the morning traffic mixes with the growl of Juan’s lawnmower as I thrust open the window to allow the hairspray fumes to escape.

Decision number one of today approaches, and it’s a tough one. Which one of my 45 red ties do I wear? In the end, eeny, meeny, miny, mo solves that one; always a trusty route. Jacket, pants and shirt are easy – only black and white available. The hat is optional, but not inside; nobody to try and win over in my own house.

Unsurprisingly, those beady eyed little anchors are still chatting about me, although I don’t mind the attention. Relaxing into my recliner with a coke in hand, I gaze fixedly with a grin at the repetitive political Punch and Judy; they never learn. They never will. There’s more intellectual listening to be found in the slurping of my straw than in 24 hours of this circus.

I find my desk almost bending under the heft of the paperwork, although it helps being your own boss; you get the nice office. There’s a kind of roundness to it that I can’t put my still greasy finger on. It’s dark in here – perhaps a little light would help. Parting the curtains, I inhale sharply – again, I should probably stop; people are mocking that too. I survey the scene. Before me lies an immaculate lawn; I wink at Juan, he’s done his job well. Camera flashes shoot like gunfire from the phones of eager tourists, whilst the important people attempt to weave their way through the throng. They really shouldn’t be up this early. Far away, the smoke of industry taints the sunrise above uniform office blocks, arranged like a braced set of teeth across the horizon.

Enough of the semantics, however. Work now. Even sitting in the chair makes me feel important. No sooner have I settled than my first appointment is shown in. She nervously takes the seat I offer and arranges her hair: “Good morning, Mr. President.”