In its ongoing efforts to positively impact the communities it serves, Middleton Lawn & Pest Control looked for a profound way to continue its corporate involvement within the community and to kickoff the company’s 55th anniversary celebration this year; thereby creating the “What’s Bugging You?” competition. This youth achievement program served to give a voice to an audience whose opinions are often marginalized by society, the youth.
“As both CEO of Middleton and a parent, I believe that if we listen to our children, as adults, we have the ability to learn a great deal from today’s youth. For this reason, we were impressed to see that issues and topics that concern Florida students extend well beyond the daily struggles of the typical school day to focus on serious social issues, politics, and even the perceptions of their own generation,” said Greg Clendenin, CEO of Middleton Lawn & Pest Control. “Through our ‘What’s Bugging You?’ Youth Achievement Award competition, Middleton received some very valuable insight into the minds of tomorrow’s leaders.”
Entry themes explored the issues of sexism, prejudice, racism, the misrepresentation of teenagers in the media, body image, lack of social awareness, politics, environmental concerns and many others.
Excerpts from the following winning entries capture a snapshot of the varied concerns that plague the minds of Florida students.
Daytona District / Brevard County
“What’s bugging me is how more than 1.3 million skin cancers are diagnosed and how nearly 8,000 deaths occur from melanoma each year in the United States. I feel that these numbers are unnecessary for a medical condition that can be prevented and so easily avoided,” expressed Jena Sleiman, West Shore Junior/Senior High School student. “My desire is to take ‘what's bugging me’ and turn it into something proactive and positive by becoming a dermatologist. I want to inspire people to change their lifestyles so that this malady won’t inflict detriment upon them and their families. My passion is to save lives and make a difference in this world.”
Orlando District / Orange County
“To ask the average student what bugs them usually brings a fairly simple answer: too much homework, not enough sleep, too many chores, etc. But what really makes my skin crawl is hatefulness and prejudice,” voiced Erica Schoelkopf, Winter Park High School student. “Perhaps prejudice bugs everyone, but to everyone I ask this question: why is it that a known and wide-spread social injustice is so often overlooked for its ‘common presence’ in our society today?”
Tampa District / Hernando County
“I carry this simple message with me everywhere I go: children are dying, they need help, they deserve help, and we can lend a hand. I think people hear the first three parts and agree. They show that they genuinely care about other people,” wrote Steven White of Central High School. “But what really bugs me is that the fourth part, [the fact] that we as citizens, students, and people can make a difference, falls on deaf ears!”
Middleton Lawn & Pest Control’s 2006 “What’s Bugging You?” Youth Achievement Award competition gave Florida’s youth a voice by allowing them to submit an essay on a topic of the student’s choosing, telling Middleton what was bugging them. And, in selecting the winning essays, Middleton solicited the help of Central Florida educators to join the judging committee and provide the unique perspective of education professionals. University of Central Florida Instructor of advertising and public relations, Ryan Sheehy, and Assistant Principal of Seminole High School, Bill Vickers, joined representatives from Middleton’s management team and advertising/public relations partner agency in reviewing 51 finalists, and choosing 17 winning entries. More than a total 215 essay entries were submitted and reviewed by Middleton’s judging committee.
For their considerable efforts, the 17 winners of the 2006 Middleton Lawn & Pest Control “What’s Bugging You?” Youth Achievement Award competition will be rewarded with a $1,000 scholarship for college expenses, an Apple iPod® Shuffle MP3 player and a certificate of recognition.
“We certainly had a very difficult task in narrowing the entries down to only one winner per county. The Judging Committee was highly impressed by the quality of the submissions we received,” added Clendenin.