Published: June 13, 2008 11:25 am      

Conway gets it

Local youth wins state energy conservation essay contest

Dogs and energy conservation may have nothing to do with one another. Unless you’re Blake Conway. Then these unrelated items provided a chance to be creative while promoting an important message.

Conway, who just completed his fourth-grade year at Plato Elementary, was the state winner for the Igniting Creative Energy essay contest. He received $1,000 to put toward his school, or his gifted and talented program, Cognitively Enriched Learning Lab (CELL). He also got an MP3 player, which he said he has been using quite a bit since receiving it.

“I feel happy,” he said. “It’s a pretty big deal.”

For his essay, which had to be 500 words or three pages, Conwaywrote a story titled “Fido Saves Dogland.” The story was about a dog who lives where people don’t use too much energy.

He said he got the idea for the story because he had to write about energy conservation but he likes dogs, too. Therefore, he wanted to find a way to connect them.

“I just thought since it had to be about energy conservation and I like dogs, I could just sort of mix them together,” he said.

In addition to the essay, Conway also had to turn in a written explanation describing how the entry relates to the theme. This explanation couldn’t exceed a page.

Cindy Parks, CELL teacher, said Duncan Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Glenda Cobb contacted her about the essay contest. Parks said the CELL students were learning about ecology at the time, and she thought it would be a good idea to tie the essay in with the class lesson.

She said the essay gave Conway a chance to be creative.

“I think the creativity was what got him the most points,” Parks said. “I’m just extraordinarily proud of him.”

Conway’s mother, Jamie, said she appreciates that her son had the opportunity to explore his creativity and to learn about improving the world. “I’m pretty excited,” she said.

“One thing Duncan Public Schools has done for my kids is challenged them. They have great elementary teachers.”

Aside from the challenges provided, she said she also liked that Blake had a chance to learn while doing something enjoyable.

“I think it’s neat they have those kinds of programs,” Jamie said.

“I think it’s neat there are people who give kids the opportunity to start thinking about what’s important for the future.

“I like that our kids are recognized for something positive.”