STANLEY READY FOR ADVENTURE TO ENGLAND

Takara Stanley is going on an all-expense-paid trip to England in April, compliments of the Southeast Missourian newspaper.

The 17-year-old Cape Girardeau Central High School senior scored highest in all three phases in the final competition of the Young Columbus contest, held Saturday at the Southeast Missourian.

"I'm really excited," Stanley said of her upcoming trip to England April 13-22. "It's going to be great."

The Young Columbus competition was open to students in grades 7 through 12 who had a class with a Southeast Missourian Newspapers In Education teacher.

Each participating school selected two essay winners to advance as semi-finalists.

Stanley was one of five finalists in the competition.

Others were Crystal R. Rhodes, Woodland R-4; Jennie Lukens, Cape Girardeau Central High School; Erik Morse, L.J. Schultz; and Pamela Cook, Fredericktown.

The finalists were selected by a six-member panel based on an essay question: "What is the most urgent problem facing America today?"

Stanley's essay focused on overdeveloped self-interest in society today. She writes, "The primary goal in life seems to have become getting ahead; helping others has been subordinated to the aim of personal supremacy."

In the final competition, the five students took a 30-minute written examination which contained multiple choice, true or false, short-answer questions and a 10-point essay at the end. The finalists also participated in a "Jeopardy"-style question-and-answer exam, where they were asked questions and were instructed to write the answers on a sheet of paper and hold them up for judging. Students were awarded points for each correct answer.

At the end of the second round of the competition, scores were tabulated and the top two finalists faced off against each other in another question-and-answer exam. In the final round, the two contestants were allowed to choose the category of questions they wished to answer.

"It was easier than I thought it would be," Stanley said of the day's competitions. "I didn't really know what to expect."

In preparation for the competition, Stanley said she read through the daily newspapers twice everyday. "I also watched a lot of (President Bill Clinton's) inauguration; there were some questions on that," Stanley said.

Stanley was the oldest of the five finalists. After she graduates in June, she plans to attend college and later go to graduate school.

"I will probably go to Georgetown (University)," Stanley said. "But I'm still waiting to hear from Harvard and Stanford."

She said she is thinking about studying psychology in college, but is not ready to commit to anything.

Stanley is a straight-A student at Cape Central. She plays varsity tennis, and is a member of the Future Business Leaders of America, the Cape Central Patriotic Club, the Cape Central Student Council, the yearbook staff, the writing club, Students for World Improvement and the debate team.

She has attended the Global Awareness Seminar and the World Affairs Seminar, and professes a deep concern for the future.

"I think about that kind of stuff," Stanley said. "It's exciting but it's scary too.

"We're all going to have to change a lot in the future and make some sacrifices," Stanley continued. "But I'm sure that will be for the best."

The contest was organized by Kim McDowell and Jon Rust of the Southeast Missourian.

"We were so impressed with the vast knowledge of current events these students demonstrated in the currents events exams," McDowell said. "These are great kids and we are proud to be helping young people from our area have an opportunity to travel abroad."

This was the first year the Southeast Missourian was involved with the Young Columbus competition.

"We look forward to doing it again next year," McDowell said.

Each finalist will receive a six-month subscription to the Southeast Missourian.