Students Score Big in Competition

A number of ninth grade students have won awards for scientific writing in the Oregon Scholastic Art and Writing competition.

Two freshmen, Hazel McDonald and Paolo Rueda, won Golden Keys, the highest award, while five students won Silver Keys and three got honorable mentions.

This is the first time students here have submitted scientific writing to this contest. The essays were about the ethical implications of various biological advancements.

“This project helps students develop a personal voice, persuasive prose and learn to weigh the pros and cons of a particular biotechnology topic,” Molly Sultany, science teacher, said.

Students selected topics from cloning endangered species to genetically modifying organisms to reduce the spread of disease.

Sultany introduced a list of topics to the class that the students could write on.

“There was a list of prompts and every prompt had two people from each class,” McDonald said. “It was basically ‘write a bioethic essay stating your opinion on a topic.’”

From there, Sultany remained hands-off as students wrote their essays.

When she began writing, McDonald had no idea she was going to submit to the contest.

“At the end it was like ‘if you want extra credit you can submit,’” McDonald said. “I wasn’t expecting anything from the submission it was just like I can get extra credit.”

McDonald wrote on the ethics of cloning endangered species.

“After doing some research I said that yes, the process is dangerous and need some refining, but in the long run the cloning of endangered species,” she said.

Sultany believes that it is important to address bioethics.

“Biotechnology has the potential to save millions of lives, augment the global food supply (golden rice) and protect biological diversity, yet these technologies are not without ethical considerations and economic hurdles,” she said. “These issues are nuanced, more complex than a simple yes or no answer.”

Sultany plans on submitting student work to the contest again.