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Show Lieb takes first place in nat'l 3M essay contest Andrea Lieb, 13-year-old Centerville resident, recently won $500 for first place in a national 3M Corporation essay contest. The competition asked kids to write, in 500 words, about a person who has shown perseverance, determination and "stick-to-it-spirit." The contest commemorates the 60th anniversary of the company. Andrea's school, Centerville Junior Ju-nior High School, will receive 6,000 feet or 166 rolls of Scotch tape for Andrea's winning entry. first read about David and his story. David and his family came from Haiti 21 months ago and are presently living in New York. On his 12th birthday he refused a neighborhood bully's order to take drugs. The bully, a 13-year-old boy, told David that if he refused to use crack, he would be set aflame. David stuck to his answer "NoV Therefore, he was beaten and set on fire. The next day, he underwent a four-hour operation to graft a thin layer of skin from his lower legs onto his badly burned arms. Apparently, Ap-parently, he would need several skin-grafting operations besides the one he just had, because 55 percent of his body was burned. The article said he will be in a life-threatening situation for the next several months according to the hospital spokesman. He has high spirits and doesn't complain of pain. Even with all of this happening, David's parents don't regret coming to the United States. 1 haven't heard any more information about David Opont, but I keep the newspaper clipping, and I read it often. To me, David was very brave and had a lot of guts to stand up to the big bully, knowing full-well what the consequences would be to himself. Judging by his picture near the article, he seems very small in stature. It seems like the old story of David and Goliath only David Opont stuck to his beliefs as a winner and is now in a great deal of pain while fighting for his life. In my eyes, David is a hero. With David and I being the same age, I hope in the same situation, I would do what David did. The bully was in custody, but I have never known what his punishment was. But whatever punishment the bully received, it can't be enough in comparison to what David is going through to this day and the rest of his life. Saying "No!" to drugs should be enough (that's what we are all taught), but maybe it's not. No one should force another person per-son to take drugs. David's choices were to either take crack or be set on fire those are lousy choices. I feel sorry for David. What a poor welcome to America the land of the free, home of the brave. Andrea Leib Centerville r ANDREA LIEB Andrea said she was touched months ago when she read about a boy named David Opont, who was beaten and set on fire because he had refused a neighborhood bully's order to use cocaine. She was impressed with David's determination and spirit because he was burned on 55 percent of his body just for saying 'no!' Now he is having painful skin grafts, and he never complains of pain. This all happened on his 12th birthday. Andrea said she never thought she would win and was"thrilled." She is currently in eighth grade at Centerville Junior Fugh School. She lives with her parents, Ben and . Laurie Lieb, and two brothers and i one sister in Centerville. if ( She wrote and sent her essay the day of the deadline. Andrea put some of her cash award in savings and was able to get contact lenses that she has always wanted. She had been saving babysitting money for about two years so she could purchase pur-chase them. Andrea's prize-winning essay follows. Stick-to-It Spirit I guess I'm lucky; in the area where I live I haven't ever been approached ap-proached about drugs-yet. I'm 12 years old and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Latter-day Saints. All through my growing up, I have been taught by my church and my family to be honest, clean, modest and never take liquor or drugs. But when I think of a "stick-to-it" person there's only one name that comes to my mind right nowDavid Opont. I don't know David Opont and probably will never meet him during dur-ing my life, but he's a person I'll never forget. On March 10, 1990 in our newspaper, the Deseret News, I |
