Essay contest reveals students' ideas for a harmonious world

The 11th annual Charles Walton Essay Challenge produced four top winners from South Bay schools: Imogene Berry of Notre Dame High School, Lancy Chiu of Saratoga High School, Lori Jensen of Lynbrook High School and Brad Simmons of Bellarmine College Preparatory.

The essay contest, sponsored by the San Jose Peace Center, the Collins Foundation and Los Gatan Charles Walton, recognizes high school students for their writings on significant social problems in the world. The theme this year was "How can conflict within the family be resolved, as a step toward a more decent and less violent society?" The prize-winning submissions were presented at Mother Olsen's Inn in San Jose in mid-May, followed by a presentation at the Los Gatos Unitarian Fellowship.

Berry wrote a play about how wise parenting leads children to productive lives; Chiu's play shows how a friend's kindness and empathy leads another friend to avoid suicide; Jensen wrote an essay and Simmons submitted a simulated radio program.

There were 20 prize-winning projects altogether, with awards ranging from $25 to $1,000. All winners also receive certificates. Among the prize-winning submissions were five from Osborne High School, which is run by Santa Clara County at the Juvenile Detention Center.

Ideas for themes for next year's contest are welcome; previous years' themes have dealt with problems such as the causes of war, remedies for war, gang activity and human rights. For more information, call the San Jose Peace Center at 297-2299.

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