ORLANDO, Fla. — In concluding its second annual “What’s Bugging You?” Youth Achievement Award program, Middleton Lawn & Pest Control discovered that today’s high school seniors have many serious concerns on their minds, ranging from the continued presence of prejudice in today’s society and growing political campaign spending, to ever-present body image issues and the need for expanded environmental protection.
Middleton Lawn & Pest Control, a subsidiary of Fort Lauderdale-based Sunair Services Corporation, sought to learn what was on the minds of Florida’s high school seniors by giving them a voice and opportunity to express their insights and opinions by either writing an essay, or using their artistic talents to create a painting, drawing or illustration that answered the question “What’s Bugging You?”
“Investing in programs that benefit children and families has always been a key focus of Middleton, and with the ‘What’s Bugging You?’ program we value the opportunity to help students and their families with the continually increasing expenses associated with college,” said Jacqueline Rivera, Middleton Lawn & Pest Control’s director of marketing. “Further, we are interested in the concerns of today’s youth, as these concerns are molding their thoughts, challenging their values and influencing their actions everyday. By asking students to share with us, we have gone under the superficiality often associated with teenage ‘thinking’ and tapped deep into their concerns, their perspective and their humanity.”
Middleton Lawn & Pest Control received more than 400 entries in the Written Category and nearly 100 entries in the Visual Category with themes that explored the issues of sexism, prejudice, political spending, racism, poverty, healthcare in the U.S., body image, environmental concerns and many others.
Excerpts from the top six winning entries provide a snapshot of the varied concerns on the minds of Florida students.
Overall Written Category Winners
Crystal Amanda Rodriguez, a senior at Stanton College Preparatory High School in Duval County, analyzed how society perceives prosperity in her essay:
“I feel as though society as a whole is developing a distorted perception of prosperity and success. Prosperity does not only include financial success, but also entails mental and spiritual peace and stability. ... Money comes and goes, but I desire the ability to reflect on the meaning of my life’s work, and the wisdom and knowledge that I will acquire throughout the years. Ultimately, I wish that more people could understand that greatness in not measured in career status or riches, but in the contributions one makes to his or her culture and society.”
Michael Worley, a senior at Cooper City High School in Broward County, submitted an essay exploring the deterioration of the English language via instant and text messaging:
“Like a termite that eats away silently inside the wall of a home, this trend [deterioration of the English language] is tearing away, unnoticed, at the foundation of our language. The disintegration of the human language through the proliferation of shorter, grammatically incorrect phrases poses a threat to our culture and society at large. ... That might be the greatest challenge of our generation: convincing students that the SAT isn’t the only reason to expand their literacy, to use proper grammar, to spell words correctly or to use basic punctuation. If our generation cannot meet that challenge, we will eventually face the threat of a disintegrating language. ... 2 b or not 2 b? That is the question.”
Timothy Foster, a senior at Coral Springs High School in Broward County discussed the “vexing vice of humanity” in the form of greed:
“Past the boundaries of competition and aspiration, lives the root of all evil, greed. This simple aspect of human nature is the derivative of most societal problems. Without it, there would be no war, no theft, no lies. ... Why should we have to find a lock for everything? Why should people have to carry mace to walk to a car? The fact that we have to lock the door and carry the mace bugs me. The human character will forever exist with an array of virtues and vices though. Greed will live within each generation. As days pass and society changes, I can only hope the virtues of generosity, loyalty, courage, love, and friendship outshine the darkness of greed.”
Overall Visual Category Winners
Bianca Velazquez, a senior at Oviedo High School in Seminole County, submitted a cloth collage depicting racism among the different countries of the world with this creative rationale:
“Racism is something that is bugging me and has bugged me since I was a young girl; especially racism against minorities. I am of Cuban descent and just because my family looks different and eats different foods, does not mean we are any less equal. Many believe racism ended many years ago yet it still exists today and it bugs me!”
Evan Lovejoy, a senior at Booker High School in Sarasota County, submitted a colored pencil sketch representing his frustration with pet owners who do not take the necessary precautions to rid their animals of fleas, providing this rationale with his artwork:
“Fleas bug me. Working at a veterinarian’s office I see countless people letting fleas get the best of them. There has been a rise in clients making appointments due to their pet’s flea allergy despite the fact that fleas can be easily controlled through the use of excellent flea protection products. Over and over again I have seen clients give up on ever keeping their flea problems at bay. I find it extraordinary that some are even reduced to euthanizing their pet to assuage its flea allergy. ... I hope that in the future, people will take power over the fleas that bug their pets that, in turn, bug me.”
Amy M. Pucek, a senior at Vanguard High School in Marion County, entered a pencil sketch of a girl surrounded by televisions that illustrates her annoyance at the abundance of television commercials today. She provided this creative rationale:
“There is nothing more annoying to me than television shows being continuously interrupted by commercials. When I actually get the opportunity to watch a show, the last thing I want to see is commercials. They interrupt the flow of the program. It often seems to me like there is more time spent on commercials than on the actual program. This may seem like a minor problem to some people, but they make me want to pull my hair out! These television commercials are what’s bugging me.”
Middleton awarded six, $2,000 Achievement Awards to these overall winners, as well as 22, $500 Achievement Awards to one winner from each of the 22 participating counties within Middleton’s service territory. The awards will go toward the winners’ college expenses including, but not limited to, tuition, housing and books.
The 22 county winners include: Alachua-Benjamin Petitto; Brevard-Kern Vijayvargiya; Broward-Katrina Brinkman; Collier-Christopher Howland; Duval-Christian Tan; Flagler-Andrew Earle; Hernando-Lauren McKenna; Hillsborough-Lindsey Everett; Indian River-Jillian Askren; Lake-Dyllan Howell; Marion-Lauren Beebe; Martin-Zandria Bryant; Orange-Jennifer B. Blocker; Osceola-Robert Michael Randle; Palm Beach-Kimberly Twoey; Pasco-Kandi Coffman; Pinellas-Theresa Linnert; Polk-Kelsie Timpe; Sarasota-Rachel Barnard; Seminole-Morgan Hill; St. Johns-Allison Walter; and Volusia-Maria Caroselli.