Good Life Award - Winners

2008 Good Life Award Winner
2008 Awards of Distinction
2008 Honorable Mentions
Past Winners
Events, Discussion Guides, & More


Hundreds of Area Teens Enter Contest

Congratulations to all of the students who entered the third annual Dottie Yeck Good Life Award Writing Contest!

This endowment-funded contest was developed in memory of Dorothy Yeck, whose life philosophy was:

Being Good + Doing Good =
Having Fun + Being Happy

This year's contest received 302 entries from schools all over the county, including:

Alter High School Ascension School Bishop Leibold School Brookville Intermediate Butler High School Centerville High School Dayton Christian School East Dayton Christian Eastmont Park Elementary Emerson Academy Holy Angels Elementary School Home School Incarnation School John E. Smith Middle School Kettering Middle School Magsig Middle School Mary Queen of Peace Catholic School

Morton Middle School Oakwood High School Oakwood Jr. High School Richard Allen School Spring Valley Academy St. Charles School Stivers School for the Arts Studebaker Middle School Tower Heights Middle School Trotwood Madison Jr. High Valley View Middle School Van Cleve School for the Arts Wantz Middle School Watts Middle School Weisenborn Middle School World of Wonder

The judges were independent community professionals, including university professors, journalists, and retired teachers. They chose one "Good Life Award" winner, three "Awards of Distinction" and several entries for "Honorable Mention."

Good Life Award Winner:

Colleen Kochensparger 8th Grade, Watts Middle School Read Colleen's Essay Colleen's Comments: "I’m so glad I won this contest; there are tons of awesome writers in Centerville and I’m proud to be called one of them. I think this will help my chances of getting a novel published as a teen, and I’m hoping that $250 of it will help the American Cancer Society figure out something new. Most of all, I hope that my brother realizes that what I wrote is for real. Thanks!"

Award of Distinction Winners:

John Baker - 8th Grade, Oakwood Junior High School Stacy Chiou - 7th Grade, Watts Middle School Shannon Fillingim - 7th Grade, Magsig Middle School

Honorable Mentions:

Matt Buford - 8th Grade, Oakwood Junior High School Madison Conroy - 8th Grade, Incarnation School Jake Doran - 8th Grade, Magsig Middle School Jonathan Garber - 8th Grade, Magsig Middle School Rachel Griep - 8th Grade, Oakwood Junior High School Renique’ Hicks - 8th Grade, Mary Queen of Peace Catholic School Mitchell Hopper - 8th Grade, Tower Heights Middle School Nathan Lee - 8th Grade, Valley View Middle School Katelyn Martin - 8th Grade, Watts Middle School Emily Nolan - 7th Grade, Incarnation School Ashley Ollier - 8th Grade, Emerson Academy Max Quellhorst - 9th Grade, Centerville High School Abby Schneider - 7th Grade, Magsig Middle School Erin Schutter - 8th Grade, Magsig Middle School Allison Smith - 7th Grade, Incarnation School Casey Tromp - 7th Grade, Bishop Leibold School Xuan Quyen Vu - 8th Grade, Ascension School Sara Whitestone - 8th Grade, Valley View Middle School Kristofer Williams - 8th Grade, Watts Middle School

Good Life Celebration:
Centerville Library, Thursday, May 22, 7:00 – 8:30 PM
Winners will be recognized and author Fran Kick will help us KICK IT IN with an exciting and dynamic teen leadership presentation! Join family, friends, and teachers in celebrating, encouraging, and helping students who are working hard, getting better at what they do, and having fun in the process. Download a flyer here.
Because being good + doing good = having fun + being happy.

Student Activities:
Teens! Try these activities at home. They'll help you see the relationship between "work" and "fun" when you're motivated to "do good."

Teacher Guide for Classroom Use:
Try these activities in your classroom. Also included is a list of great books for anyone who works with children.

Good Reads and Flicks:
Looking for great books and movies that will inspire you to live a good life? Try some of these!