The Silver Pen Program, now a statewide award, was created over 25 years ago by the Kiwanis Club of Marietta Golden K (KCMGK). Since then, the Silver Pen Award has been presented by the KCMGK to Cobb County Fourth grade students. The essay completion was competitive since the award was open to all 4th grade students on a school-wide level.
Jim Perry, past president of the KCMGK and Silver Pen Award presenter, summarized it this way, “The Club challenges all fourth graders in three schools to write a comprehensive essay on a topic assigned by the Club. Teachers in each section of fourth grade send their best two submissions to the school administration. One paper from each class is submitted to the Club, which has a panel of judges selects the winner from each school. The Silver Pen Award was our Signature Program for many years, and its success became widely known. Now, this is an approved program for Kiwanis Clubs throughout the Georgia District.”
This year, the KCMGK awarded the Silver Pen Awards at three Cobb County schools: Acworth, Rocky Mount, and Tritt Elementary. The winning students were ASHLEY LANGAN, Acworth ES; JAMES THORPE, Tritt ES; and DEANNA MUNK, Rocky Mount ES. Each winner was presented with a silver pen in a velvet sleeve, a roll of $25 uncirculated one-dollar coins acquired directly from the Philadelphia Mint, and an engraved plaque. The presentations were made during the morning broadcast to the whole school.
Everyone was incredibly proud of the Silver Pen Award winners; however, the most surprising change observed by us, the adults (parents, teachers, and Kiwanis Club members), was the delivery! At each school, the SP awards were presented LIVE, to each classroom, via a “closed circuit” in-house TV system. “We never had anything like this when I was in Elementary School,” one parent went on to say.” Both students and adults are thankful for all the technological changes that have taken place in our schools over the years. For more information on Kiwanis Club of Marietta Golden K visit: www.facebook.com/mariettagoldenk or email: kiwanisclubgk@gmail.com.
