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Local student wins scholarship in statewide writing competition

By Lisa Scheller - | Dec 6, 2006

Kansas State Treasurer Lynn Jenkins was in Tonganoxie last week to announce that an eighth-grade student at Tonganoxie Junior High School was a winner in the 2006 Learning Quest essay contest.

Jenkins presented a certificate of a $500 Learning Quest scholarship account to Megan Woods. Megan, an eighth-grader, is the daughter of Ray and Betty Woods, Tonganoxie.

I’m a science geek, for lack of a better term. My favorite subject is, that’s right, science. I think the reason why it is so interesting to me is the fact that while experimenting you could discover something that’s never been discovered before.

One historical figure that shared my interest is Rosalind Franklin. Born July 25, 1920, in London, England, Rosalind was always a good student.

But when the time came for college, her father resisted. He didn’t believe in higher education for women.

But, Rosalind went on to college and studied science. Once she was out, she started researching DNA at a local lab. Soon after that, she became the first person, male or female, to ever photograph (by X-ray) the structure of DNA.

Unfortunately, Rosalind died on April 16, 1958, of cancer, just 10 years before her former co-workers would use her research to make the model of the double helix that won the Nobel Prize in 1968.

In conclusion, I too hope to make a future for myself in science. Even if the road is a little bumpy along the way, I know that someday, I could help make the world a better place through science.

Because of Megan’s win, Jenkins said her class would be the benefactor of a celebration party.

Megan wasn’t the only one honored at Tuesday’s assembly.

Her language arts teacher, Deborah Holloway, received a check for $500 because her students submitted the most essays in the contest.

Learning Quest sponsored the essay contest for all seventh- and eighth-grade students in Kansas to encourage them to take an active role in planning for their educational future.

Students were asked to write about their favorite subject in school and give examples of a historic figure who shared their passion. Jenkins said they’d received more than 650 essays.

“As a parent and CPA, I know planning for a child’s future is of vital importance,” said Jenkins, administrator of the Learning Quest program. “Through the essay contest we hope to encourage students and parents to begin thinking about saving for college while kids are still young. The earlier a family can start saving, the more time the investments have to grow.”