For every juvenile incident found in our “law enforcement” report on a weekly basis, there are tons of other good news stories out there about local teens.

One of those stories was prominently featured on Page 1B of a recent issue – “The Power of Words.”

For every kid who attends a beer party, there are probably 50 teens not pounding a Pabst…

The Fountain Hills Coalition, dedicated to fighting drug and alcohol abuse among our youths, recently sponsored an essay contest for high schoolers.

Although it was turned into a class assignment by some of the English teachers, it is still remarkable that 278 of our 648 high school students participated in the contest (a grand prize of $500 in cool crisp cash probably didn’t hurt, either).

Even more remarkable was the awards ceremony held on Valentine’s Day, a ceremony during which the top 17 finishers were highlighted after a panel of judges reviewed entries.

Small excerpts were read from each of the “honorable mentions,” and two of the top three essays were read by the student authors themselves.

Sheriff’s Deputy Jill Ochsner, the school resource officer, pointed out to me that a school assembly should have been called and every student required to listen to the presentation and essays.

It was an inspiring get-together and undoubtedly gave those attending hope for the upcoming generation.

Sophomore Tyler Wedding wrote, “Another problem with saying no is people will make fun of you for not doing what’s cool and how everyone’s ‘doing’ it. But honestly, who cares what people think? They should be congratulating you for choosing the decision not to mess up the rest of your life with that kind of stuff.”

Senior Olivia Lagnese wrote, “The people of my generation need to see that when each individual sets out to live with their pulse, their drive, to find and catch their dream, we will all create something that is bigger than ourselves.”

Many of the teens shared personal experiences in their essays, baring their souls at a tender age that often screams not to say anything. It demonstrated that many teens have the tenacity and smarts to go against the grain, to resist certain temptations that could very well have long-term negative implications.

Nataly Gruvender, a sophomore, wrote, “No matter who makes you do it, what makes you do it, or who you can blame; it will always come down to you in the end.”

Jalin Yoder penned this, “Being able to live this life with a purpose is an amazing thing, but I don’t believe you can find that purpose if you are stuck on your phone all the time. You never know where life will take you. Don’t miss out on your opportunities to live your life to its absolute fullest.”

See what I mean?