Category: Another Viewpoint || By Submitted Report

The McKeesport's Message Committee asked students at McKeesport Area High School to write essays on the theme of "respect."

Winners were honored Tuesday during a celebration at Jacob Woll Pavilion, Renziehausen Park, and received gift cards donated by state Sen. Jim Brewster and state Rep. Marc Gergely, along with Kennywood tickets, passes to White Oak Pool, and other prizes.

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First-Place, Senior Class: Aviva Gersovich

Respect, for me, is tied to the concept of understanding. To respect a person, you must understand where they are coming from and be willing to listen to them. To respect an object or place, you must understand that it is not yours to damage or abuse. This understanding gives the object or person meaning and a sense of dignity. It is imperative that respect becomes more prevalent in our society. Respect is one of the most important values that can and should be instilled in every child.

Respect must be taught at the school level, but learning it should begin at home. Parents need to model respectful behavior by treating their children with respect. Children need to grow up feeling loved and respected. Love and respect are not one and the same, but they do largely overlap. The family should provide both, and teach children the importance of respecting their surroundings. Children must learn to love and respect themselves first so that this can be transferred to others. Respect is necessary to fully love and appreciate anything.

If respect was recognized as a necessary, core value, there would be a more widespread sense of hope. There is an undercurrent of hostility that comes with having to prove yourself in order to earn respect. Respect should be inherent, transcending all boundaries. A world where respect is implicit is a much more hopeful world than the world of today. It should be a goal to endow future generations with the knowledge of how important respect is. Children should learn to respect both themselves and others.

I believe that every person deserves to be respected. It concerns me to see the lack of respect that is prevalent at McKeesport High School. Everyone has a personal responsibility to model the respect that they wish to see. Changing one's behavior always makes an impact, no matter how small the change. If people changed their attitudes and became more respectful, love, dignity, and hope would prevail.

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First Runner-Up: Tayla Rouse

Respect: A feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements. Respect is more than a song by Aretha Franklin that we hear in movies from time to time. I'm not just talking about respect for your parents or your elders, what I'm talking about is much more than that. Respect is about, respecting other peoples religion, sexuality, race, or the chooses they may make.

No matter what there needs to be some level of respect given on both sides. Respect is what we need to find and get back to in our city of McKeesport.

Respect doesn't just belong on the field or on the court; it belongs in the schools on the streets, and in the homes. Sports are supposed to build character, teach you about hard work and decision, working as a team, as well as teach you the value of respect. It seems that this is what being left on the fields or courts etc, instead of being taken from it.

McKeesport is a sport-bred city; it's in our name Mck-ee-( sport), but everyone gets so caught up in the hype of game they forget to take what they learned from the sport into the real world. Even people in the community have lost the value they need to establish theses values back into the players to remind them of what is important.

I'm not just some kid that doesn't know what goes on in the sports aspect of McKeesport; I've played softball, basketball, track, cheered, and powder-puff. Even my family is deep rooted in the sports in theses community some of them coach, referee, or don't even miss a single game. So I grow up around the values that come with playing sports, and I've seen it disappear more and more each day.

It's not just in the sport we lost respect but on the streets of our community and in the schools. As we have seen in the last 5 years there has been a lost of respect for human life here in McKeesport many have lost their lives in this time period. I've lived here my whole life, and I've never seen so much killing and hatred for one another.

I remember when there was a time when this community was a decent place to live, maybe I was too young to realize what was going on around me or the city changed. Either way this is not the same McKeesport I remember from my childhood or my mother's stories from her childhood.

Now that I've reached my senior year in high school I see that there is not much respect in the school. I've seen students yell at teachers, because they feel that they're too "grown" to have to listen to them, or they're not their parents, and parents don't care about it so there is a lost respect right there. Exposing people's home life or personal business, for a quick laugh at their expense. Some of it is just class A bullying.

Students here have no respect for each other or the adults in this building; don't get me wrong, there are a few that do give respect when respect is given, but for the most part respect is lacking in McKeesport High School.

It's not just in the community where we have lost respect, but in the communities around us have lost respect for us. I see every time I go some where new either to compete or go some where with my letterman jacket on. I hear the remarks and I see the looks. I remember at my last Future Business Leaders of America event, a teacher from another school made a couple of crude and stereotypical remarks about us in front our face. He thought it was so funny. So did I, because afterwards I placed to go to states for a second year in a row.

Nevertheless, we need to start having more respect for ourselves and our community, if we ever want to regain the respect from others.

Even though our community needs to rebuild the respect we once had. I'm proud to be "McKeesport Made" --- we do some good here; some of us try to make McKeesport a better place to live for us all. I'm not just saying just give anyone respect, respect is given and earned to keep. We don't have much of a problem with disrespect of people's sexuality, race, or religion.

We had a gay couple on semi-formal court this year, and McKeesport has different races and religion throughout the community. We just need to come together as one like I remember it us to be, and like when my mom was a kid. "Respect, Hope, Love, Dignity" these are what McKeesport needs to strive for, to keep moving forward.

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Second Runner-Up: Devin Kiska

R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Who would think that seven letter would have such a complex meaning? The word respect has many different connotations. Every person has a different definition and understanding of the word. Respect comes in many different forms including self-respect, respect for peers and elders, and respect for heroes.

Self-respect is difficult to attain but is a rather rewarding form of respect --- In order to have self-respect people must learn first to love themselves. When people love themselves they do not find many faults in their images. People have faith in what they believe in and what their morals are. They build confidence that ultimately leads to self-respect.

People who have self-respect know not to harm their bodies with toxins such as drugs and alcohol. They value their healthy lives and respect their bodies. Self-respect can stop teenagers and many others from making poor decisions.

Respect for people your own age is an important part of getting along. No one likes to be reprimanded or ridiculed. Having respect for these people involves seeing things from their point of view. The key to understanding others is to acknowledge their experiences. It is important to understand another person's feelings and beliefs. Even though people might not always agree it is important that they can respect different perspectives and ideas. If respect is given to a person most likely that person will reciprocate and violence can be avoided.

Another form of respect is respect for elders. People that are older have lived longer and may be a bit wiser than the average teenager. It is imperative to listen to these people and learn from them. They can give advice on things like schooling and life. Respecting these types of people, such as parents and grandparents, could make life easier. This kind of respect comes from love and kindness. Once respect is given to these considerate and compassionate people, they will probably give respect back, making the world a happier place.

Finally, respect for professionals or heroes is the easiest type to create. These kinds of people are police officers, firefighters, teachers, and military leaders to name a few. Although most people have never met all of these people individually, these people greatly influence our lives. These people are confident, reliable and strong. They have sacrificed so much in order to enhance the lives of thousands of people. Respect for them is essential because of every task they perform on a daily basis. They change peoples' lives by teaching them a lesson, keeping them safe, and defending their country. Even though they are strangers to numerous citizens, these people never fail to assist the community and deserve the utmost respect.

Respect can come in varying manners. It can be in the form of self-respect, respect for peers and elders, and respect for heroes. Respect is a vital part of everyday life. It is what helps people to get along and progress in life. Even though there are so many definitions, respect lives inside our hearts.