Essay on peer pressure is a winner for SHS senior

By Garth Guibord

The Sandy Post, Dec 16, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (1 Reader comment)

ADVERTISEMENTS

Sandy High School senior Hilary Annes knows from experience how daunting peer pressure can be. She recounted in an essay a recent instance when she was offered alcohol, and despite facing jokes about her choice, she remained steadfast and refused to drink.

That essay, “The Acceptable ‘no,’ ” earned Annes a $2,500 scholarship as a winner of the Laura Mersereau Memorial Essay Contest. Annes was one of two essays to earn the first prize scholarships, which were awarded at a ceremony Friday, Dec. 12, at Portland City Hall.

“I have goals, I have things that I want to do in life, and I don’t want anything to get in the way of that,” Annes said of her decision to forgo drugs and alcohol.

Brad Mersereau, Laura’s older brother, created the contest with the help of Oregon Partnership, a nonprofit organization promoting drug and alcohol awareness. Laura died in 1999 at the age of 46 from a perforated gastric ulcer, a complication caused by decades of drug and alcohol abuse.

In all, 124 students from 25 schools submitted essays, and organizers were impressed with the results.

“It was just amazingly and incredibly humbling to read what the students had written,” said Kaleen Deatherage, vice president of programs for Oregon Partnership. “They gave us a true representation of teen viewpoints from the Portland area on alcohol and drugs.”

Mayor Tom Potter presented the winners with their awards, noting that he could “see why they were selected.” As a former police chief, Potter said that drug and alcohol use are not conducive to making good decisions in life.

“It doesn’t solve problems, it only creates more,” Potter said.

1 | 2 Next Page >>