Health Department announces winners
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on July 6, 2016 1:46 PM
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Winners of the essay contest pose for a photo, from left, Ta-Kisha Darden, health education specialist with the Health Department, Aeris Carter, first place; Amelia Marriner, second place; and Patricia Faulk, third place.
Mental health was the dominant theme of the top three essay finalists in the 2016 Charles T. Gibson Teen Public Health Leadership Essay Contest, sponsored by the Wayne County Board of Health.
Winners were announced Wednesday night after each had presented their respective Power Points as part of the board meeting, held at the Wayne County Public Library.
At stake in the essay contest was scholarship money. In return, high school students were invited to share a public health issue of concern in this community, along with possible solutions to the problem.
Ta-Kisha Darden, health education specialist with the Health Department, has worked with the essay contest for the past six years. She praised the youth who took the project to heart and developed worthwhile subjects and suggestions on how to resolve them.
"We want to build leaders that can make a difference in Wayne County," she said. "We have problems but we have solutions and as long as there's students out there and the community members, we're going to be able to do great things."
Aeris Carter, a rising junior at Wayne Early/Middle College High School, tackled the topic of the general attitude of people toward those with mental issues. She won first place, receiving a $1,000 scholarship and a $75 gift card.
She suggested the need for better education on the origins of mental disorders and encouraged developing group counseling sessions for Wayne County Public Schools youth, as well as through larger businesses. Agencies like the Mental Health Association in Wayne County could also be enlisted, along with school counselors, to work with the community at large.
"By removing negative superstitions and tradition-enforced misconceptions and stigmas regarding mental disorders and making counseling sessions less likely to be targets of ridicule, Wayne County can increase the likelihood of the mentally ill feeling comfortable receiving treatment, reducing the number of untreated mental diseases in Wayne County," she wrote.
Second place went to Amelia Marriner, a rising senior at Wayne School of Engineering, for her essay on "Reaching Our Fullest Potential Together," netting her a $500 scholarship and $50 gift card.
Her presentation focused on those with special needs, zoning in on those from the youngest demographic and offering up ways to better socialize and help them feel included.
"I believe in our community we need to have all the special needs children and the regular children come together," she proposed, suggesting developing more opportunities for activities on a consistent basis.
A Valentine dance, a Christmas party, Trunk or Treat at Halloween, for example, she said.
"I think they need to have a special time for these kids to get together and also socialize with people like them, so that when they get older it won't be such a shock to them," she said.
Patricia Faulk, a recent graduate of Southern Wayne High School, received third place, a $300 scholarship and $50 gift card. Her presentation was on music therapy and mental health, reflecting her own personal interest. In the fall, she will head to East Carolina University to pursue a degree in that field.
There is value in music therapy in treating a broad spectrum of mental illnesses, brain injuries and learning disabilities, she said, offering the audience a relatable example to back her claim.
"Think about if you've had a really terrible day at work and you get in your car and your favorite jam comes on and you just feel so much better, know what I mean?" she said.
The annual essay contest, started in 2003 by the Board of Health, has undergone a few changes over the years, mostly in its name.
Initially called the Abstinence Essay Contest, its focus was on inviting teens to write about the merits of abstinence in preventing pregnancy.
The Wayne County Council on Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention joined forces with the project in 2004 and co-sponsored the contest.
In 2005, then-board member Donna Edmundson introduced the idea of supporting the effort financially. For the 2006 event, Board of Health members decided to donate their stipends toward a scholarship fund.
In 2014, the topic was broadened, allowing students to choose the subject they wrote about and renaming it the Teen Public Health Perspective Essay Contest.
Earlier this year it was renamed for Gibson, who served on the board for 11 years.
He also made many contributions to the community, Ms. Darden said, including his career as a pharmacist at both Wayne Memorial Hospital and Cherry Hospital, as well as serving two terms as Goldsboro Mayor.
Gibson, on hand for the festivities, called it a "special night," and not entirely because his name was part of the award.
"I was involved in mental health for at least 30 years -- teaching at a facility and hospital and working in the community, in child care and with mentally retarded kids," he told the winners. "Tonight was perfect for me and I certainly appreciate the work that you all did."
The winning essays for this year and previous years can be found on the website, WayneTeens.com.