Winner - High School Division
"How Project Wisdom Has Made A Difference In My Life"
By Ashelyn, 10th grade
Goldsboro, NC

"Good morning Goldsboro High School. This is…blah blah blah." Five days a week, I hear this introduction followed by a reading of positive words during homeroom. I hear the words, but I don't take them in, at least I don't think I do.

As I leave homeroom and journey to my next class, I witness two girls in a physical altercation. Both are extremely emotional as other students crowd around them. The situation ends in both girls being taken away. Walking away, shaking my head in disgust and disapproval, I think of the peace and love preached by figures like Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. But how did thoughts of these two men ease their way into my mind and why at this particular time? I shrug off the incident and continue towards my class.

After sitting through an eternity, I walk to the cafeteria for lunch. While standing in the serving line, I overhear students ahead of me "updating" each other on the fight that occurred earlier. For a split second, my mind reverts back to something I'd heard about how destructive gossip can be. I can't recall the date and time I heard it, but I do remember it was a few "Words of Wisdom."

Love…nonviolence…focusing on the positive…These are just a few of the many lessons given by the Project Wisdom program every day. Though students don't think they gain anything from it, Project Wisdom does make an impact in our lives and the way we view everyday situations.

[ Back to Top ]



Winner - Middle School Division
"How Project Wisdom Has Made A Difference In My Life"
By Lisa, 7th grade
Pasadena, TX

Middle School is tough! It's such a huge transition period. We're so busy trying to figure out who we are and how we fit in, that we often tune out the people who are trying to help us. We're too busy talking about each other, the latest gossip, music, TV, and the million other influences that alter our lives and values. There's a lot of negativity in middle school.

Into this mess, comes the Words of Wisdom every morning. It's the one positive thing we can count on. A lot of kids treat it like a big joke, sarcastically saying, "Make it a great day or not, the choice it yours." Everyone laughs and keeps on talking. After all, it wouldn't be cool to admit you are listening, but subconsciously it is sinking in. Many times, without realizing it, we'll repeat something we heard from Words of Wisdom and I'll see a change in attitude. It's like a seed being planted in our minds, we don't even realize it's right there until the right circumstances come along, then it takes root and grows. We may appear to not be listening, but trust me, our hearts are.

[ Back to Top ]



Winner - Elementary School Division
"How Project Wisdom Has Made A Difference In My Life"
By Kristinne, 5th grade
Miami, FL

Have you ever heard the Project Wisdom program? Well, I hadn't either, until last year in fourth grade. One day our Assistant Principal, Ms. Miller, asked, "Who wants to read the Words of Wisdom on our school announcements?" Being my bubbly, adventurous self, I quickly volunteered, even though I didn't even know what it all meant. I found out that the Words of Wisdom Program is a program that gives children lots of good advice!

This program can change the life of many people. It has definitely changed my life! For example, it gave me more self-confidence and it helped me make better choices in my life. All the times I have read Words of Wisdom out loud, has affected me more than if I had just listened to them. When I read the wonderful messages written on the pieces of paper, they really make me want to share them with the whole world. One particular message I remember quite well was one of the first messages I read aloud. It was about self-control. That special message really made me think about how I was acting in my classes, and it made me ask myself, "Could I be doing a better job?" I realized that I could be doing many things better and with more effort. Since then my grades have improved and I am involved in many school activities. The teachers know they can trust me and rely on me. That makes me feel proud!

Well this is Kristinne with a few words of wisdom, make it a great day or not, the choice was mine, and I chose Words of Wisdom.

[ Back to Top ]



Honorable Mention - High School Division
"How Project Wisdom Has Made a Difference in My Life"
By Tyler, 12th grade
Milledgeville, GA

Project Wisdom gives students a window of opportunity every morning to make a difference in their lives. Students are given a fresh start each day to "make it a great day or not" by grounded advice, specifically written for confused, floundering teenagers. The simplicity of the language makes it easy for everyone to comprehend the message being unveiled. The words of wisdom take up only a fraction of the students' lives, yet the impacts could last a lifetime.

I thoroughly enjoy listening to the words of wisdom every morning. They make me take a minute and reflect on my actions behind me and the choices I make for the future. Self-contemplation is a learning process to better myself as an individual and also to better the situations around me. These small bits of advice and self-awareness build up and I feel like a completely different person from four years ago. The most important lesson that I've learned from the words of wisdom is that there are many opportunities out there for me and I have to make the most of each one of them. I have to live life without regrets. A Mexican Proverb states, "When one door closes, fate will open another." The words of wisdom have opened many introspective doors for me and I feel more confident that the future behind these doors will lead me to finding happiness, which I am eternally grateful for.

[ Back to Top ]



Honorable Mention - High School Division
"How Project Wisdom Has Made a Difference in My Life"
By Heather, 12th grade
West Jefferson, NC



Project Wisdom is a great organization that expresses values and morals to help students excel in the school environment and in the community. This program has made an important impact on my life.

Through Project Wisdom I have experienced a new daily morning routine. Instead of going straight to classes where we begin work, now we have homeroom, which starts the day off with a positive statement. Each morning, it allows students like myself to think about how they react and treat other people. The project puts emphasis on the choices that we make in our lives and how our choices affect each other. It has affected my life by not only encouraging me to do my best in schoolwork but also to help out in the community. I have used the great words of this program many times, in ordinary situations such as deciding not to gossip about other people or by just trying a little harder to study for that big test. It has greatly helped my lifestyle in a positive way and in other students as well.

Project Wisdom is a great program that gives off positive messages to teenagers that can help them through the school day and to excel in life. It provides them with support to do better in school, and it gives them the choice to make their own decisions in life for the better.

[ Back to Top ]


 
Honorable Mention - Middle School Division
"How Project Wisdom Has Made a Difference in My Life"
By Page, 8th grade
Apex, Nc

I first heard of Project Wisdom in 7th grade. I was struggling to find my place in middle school, and my self-confidence had plummeted in 6th grade when a few girls bullied me and excluded me from their group. I grew to expect people would be mean to me, and I built a wall of cold indifference around me. As a result, I did not have many friends.

One day on the morning news at my school, I heard a girl reading "words of wisdom" on the topic of kindness. Her comments on kindness were a reminder to me of how to make friends and keep them. I also realized that I was getting nowhere being mean to people. These "words of wisdom" changed my life that day for two reasons. First, the message helped me look at my middle school experience in a new light. Second, these words reminded me that kindness is a circle, and that when you share friendliness and kindness, it tends to come back to you. Since then, I have made many new friends at school, and I credit Project Wisdom with helping me to transform a bad school experience into a growing up experience.

[ Back to Top ]



Honorable Mention - Middle School Division
"How Project Wisdom Has Made a Difference in My Life"
By Erica, 8th grade
El Paso, Tx

A ball of clay is placed on the workbench. This clay is very similar to a person's mind. It has no shape, and is waiting to be molded. The possibilities are endless, but it's up to me what influences I allow my mind to receive.

Project Wisdom has made a very positive impact on my life. There are many wise and powerful sayings expressed on the announcements every morning. One in particular struck me as a very influential saying. As the Chinese proverb states, "Teachers open the door, but you must enter yourself." My teachers opened the door to my education and once I entered, my mind was filled with more knowledge than one could dream of. This is only one of the many things I have learned through Project Wisdom.

There is truly no greater inauguration to a day than to hear a few wise words spoken by educated and witty people. These words have the power to change what could have been a bad day, into a productive and gleeful celebration of life. I anticipate the day when I hear yet another quote that brightens my day and enlightens my wisdom.

[ Back to Top ]



"Striving for Excellence" Award - Middle School Division
"How Project Wisdom Has Made A Difference In My Life"
By Cameron, 7th grade
Fayetteville, Ar

It is important to tell the truth. Say you have done something bad, but you don't want to tell. Sooner or later the truth will come out. The sooner you tell the truth, the truth shall set you free. Lying is wrong, so always speak the truth. Think before you speak so that you tell everything and don't lie. When in doubt, tell the truth. Always remember there is nothing as powerful as the truth. Sometimes the truth is hard to get out because you have done something bad and if you tell the truth your mom might ground you. However, you should tell the truth anyway so you don't hold on to it. If you tell the truth, you will get respect. If you want respect, you have to earn it. Truth is complicated for some people. To make it easier, please remember to always tell the truth.

[ Back to Top ]



Honorable Mention - Elementary School Division
"How Project Wisdom Has Made a Difference in My Life"
By Madalyn, 2nd grade
Bel Air, Md



Project Wisdom helps me learn what to do in the future. Project Wisdom tells me to use my manners. They taught me to treat people the way you would like to be treated. They told me to be happy with the things you have. And don't try to be like somebody else. Do not wish to have something that your friend has. Be nice to others. Don't push or shove. Don't take things that don't belong to you.

[ Back to Top ]


Honorable Mention - Elementary School Division
"How Project Wisdom Has Made a Difference in My Life"
By Michelle, 4th grade
Grand Ledge, MI

When I walk into school in the morning and I hear the words of wisdom come on the intercom, I close my eyes and concentrate on what the words mean. The words soothe me because if I am mad they will help me make wiser choices. I know the Words of Wisdom program helps others too because you can actually see people's faces change from anger to happy.

I've seen kids that are mad when I come to school and don't behave and don't listen. After the words of wisdom are read they actually change from misbehaving to behaving.

I think the reason why words of wisdom helps is because you can picture it in your mind and then the words of wisdom make you want to play with people that nobody wants to play with. The words also make you want to help people that don't get help a lot.

I am glad we have words of wisdom because I now make wiser choices.

[ Back to Top ]