by Beth Jimmerson

This October, Conway Corp celebrated Energy Awareness Month and Public Power Week by encouraging local students to show their energy smarts and participate in a poster, essay and video contest. Students in grades PreK through fourth were asked to create a poster on the theme “My Life, Powered by Conway Corp.” Students in fifth through seventh grade and eighth through 12th grade were asked to write an essay or create a video on the same theme. Prizes were awarded in each age category.  

Marguerite Vann Elementary second-grader Hayes McClurkin won first place in the poster contest. Hayes won a Conway Corp prize pack, an Energy Smart pizza party for his classroom and $100 donation for his classroom. Anna Mason won second place, and Lailah Berry won third place. Anna is a fourth-grader at Woodrow Cummins Elementary. Lailah is in kindergarten at Conway Christian School. Anna and Lailah each won Conway Corp prize packs. 

In the digital video category, Bo Cunningham won first place, and Marshall Cunningham won second place. Both students attend Conway Christian High School and won cash prizes. Their videos can be viewed at ConwayCorp.com/EnergySmartContest. 

In the fifth through seventh grade essay category, Octavio Menon won first place for her essay “From India to Conway Corp.” Colton Makara won second place for his “Lives Powered by Conway Corp” essay, and Ethan Elrod won third place for his “The Power of Conway Corp” essay. Octavio is a sixth-grader at Simon Middle School. Colton is in fifth grade at Carl Stuart Middle School, and Ethan is a sixth-grader at Courtway Middle School. 

“Conway Corp: Makers of a Modern Age” by Marshall Cunningham won first place in the eighth through 12th grade essay category. “Every Day in Every Way, Conway Corp” by Blake Hopkins received second place, and “The Power of a Closet Light” by Sarah Kemp received third place. Marshall is in 11th grade at Conway Christian School. Blake and Sarah are both seniors at Conway High School. 

Students in the essay contest won cash prizes. Below are excerpts from Marshall’s and Octavio’s winning essays. 

Marshall: We who live in the 21st century must be the luckiest group of humans to ever exist.

Instead of forging all day with the sun constantly beating down upon us, we can merely tap a few buttons and have all the food we could ever dare to imagine arrive right upon our doorstep.

Instead of planning excursions out into the wild, filled with dangers of all kinds, lurking, ready to pounce on every living soul, we have the ability to turn a key, start up our car and travel wherever our minds may take us. Instead of waiting weeks or even months for the slightest bit of communication to reach our uninformed ears, we can, with minimal effort, talk to hundreds if not millions through call or text. 

Our lives have been made better, easier and more efficient due to the brilliant increase and advancement of technology in our world; and Conway Corp, to me, helps make this dream happen for thousands each and every day.

Octavio: “RRRRrrrrr pfft!” The three wheeled scooter with no seatbelts or doors, otherwise known as an auto rickshaw, skidded to a halt in a jungle of tightly packed concrete buildings. My family and I stepped out into the blaring honks of anger, frustration and thanks. In fact, it seemed as if every vehicle in India were greeting each other through those honks. I took in my surroundings. Lots of trash was thrown across the sidewalk and water leaked from pipes blocked up with trash. As I walked through the metal gate to my grandmother Achamma’s house, I looked around her huge front yard. I saw a small wilderness of lush vegetation, providing rest to the exotic lizards, snakes and other creatures. Achamma welcomed us with open arms, barefoot in the moist cobblestone. She took us up the steps of stone into the house, and happily showed us around.

When inside, she suddenly broke out in a wheezing cough, and went to bed early. The next day, Achamma fell terribly sick, and was taken to a hospital. Life in India is much tougher than in Conway. The electricity would randomly spark and go out, leaving us with no lights or not being able to cook food for hours and hours. There wasn’t much hot water, which was actually a good thing because of the sweltering heat of the tropical weather. There was pretty much no Wifi connection during my trip to India. One of the hardest parts of the trip was the fact that we did not speak Hindi (the national language) and Malayalam (the local language). This restricted us from going out of the house much, because we couldn’t interact with people on the street or the house maid who cooked. Luckily, a miracle happened and Achamma got better.

I realized how much Conway Corp impacts my life a little after I got back from India.

Conway Corp provides clean and potable water for people living in Conway, and it takes little over a minute to pour yourself a glass of water. Electricity is also very helpful and provided by Conway Corp. Power lines stretch across Conway to provide electricity around the clock.

Everywhere I look, Conway Corp is there. From my home, to school, to the soccer fields, Conway Corp guides me through my life. Even every lively light twinkling with joy on the annual Christmas tree is powered by Conway Corp. Conway Corp powers my life in so many ways, and without it, I would be a very different person today.

Congratulations to all the winners of the 2018 Energy Smart Poster, Essay and Video Contest, and thank you to all students who submitted an entry. Conway Corp is proud of these students who continue to remind us how integral Conway Corp is to our daily lives.