The Georgia Laws of Life Essay Contest is celebrating 20 years and continues to be the largest Laws of Life essay contest in North America. During the 2018-2019 season 44,185 Georgia high school students wrote their Laws of Life essay at 69 partner schools working with 53 local Rotary Clubs. The initiatives that were funded by the “Continuing Success and Growth” grant allowed the Georgia Laws of Life Essay contest to meet its goals.
Together, these initiatives have helped Georgia Rotary Districts Character Education, Inc. (GRDCEP) continue in its mission to transform students’ lives by promoting and building character and ethical literacy.
The essay contest is now in about 14% of high schools in Georgia, leaving opportunities to grow, and many more students to impact. The organization believes with the appropriate amount of support we are well positioned to make real inroads into the remainder of the schools.
The contest is filling a critical need for Georgians, in 1998 the Georgia Assembly mandated that all public school systems implement a Character education curriculum. This has not happened due to controversy over how to accomplish and the cost for local school systems. This has caused public school officials to ignore or avoid the legislative mandate.
