Getting middle school and high school students to sit down to think about, research and write an essay on free speech? It goes together like peanut butter and jelly, right?

For its 2018 Newspapers in Education “Words Matter” Student Essay Contest, The Bulletin did just that by challenging Central Oregon middle school and high school students to respond to a question — Free Speech: What is it to you and should there be limits?

As young people in Central Oregon, students see and hear almost every day, in the media and in public conversations, the nature and “acceptable” levels and forms of free speech that are being discussed in our classrooms, our work, at our dinner tables and in our cities, states and country.

The contest was open to both middle school and high school students in both public and independent schools in Central Oregon. Students from Bend, Culver, Madras, Redmond and Sisters schools submitted essays for consideration.

Middle school and high school essays were judged as separate categories. Essays had to have 500 to 650 words. They were judged on the following elements: responding to the question, supporting evidence, organization, level of persuasiveness, unique voice and writing to an audience, grammar and punctuation.

The Bulletin is pleased to share the essays of the high school first-place student, Jaime Tracewell from Ridgeview High School; the high school second-place student, Molly Winter from Sisters High School; and the middle school first-place student, Dustin Berliner from Obsidian Middle School. The other winning essays can be viewed by clicking here.

All seven student winners (first, second and third place, along with honorable mentions) were recognized at a ceremony at The Bulletin on Thursday.

All participants will receive certificates and a summary of feedback from the judges.

In my view as the Newspapers in Education program coordinator, the Words Matter contest allows students to write about topics that are important to them. From an academic perspective, thinking critically and developing better writing skills through self-expression and supporting research are critical learning outcomes for students.

Additionally, directing their writing to a wider Central Oregon audience is a very important part of becoming not only better students, but thoughtful, reasoned, and engaged citizens in their community and beyond.

— Russ Donnelly is The Bulletin’s Newspaper in Education program coordinator