Winner: Why smoking is a health hazard?

According to the World Health Organization nearly five million people die of tobacco-smoking annually. The death toll is likely to exceed 10 million by 2020.

Every cigarette takes seven minutes off a smoker’s life. Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals in the form of particles and gases. Ninety per cent suffer from lung cancer, 75% from chronic bronchitis and 25% of heart disease due to smoking. According to recent findings, smoking can even cause blindness.

Passive or secondary smoking, where one breathes another’s smoke can cause lung cancer, heart and respiratory diseases. Children whose parents smoke suffer from asthma attacks and serious chest infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia.

The government should warn people through newspapers, radio and television on how to lessen the ill effects of smoking. The government must insist that all cigarette packets should carry the warning ‘Smoking Causes Cancer.’

S.S.K. Ekanayake,
Grade 10B,
Gothami Girls’ College, Kandy.

Winner: War is destructive

War is destructive, dangerous and brings disharmony. There are wars all over the world and some go on for many years. The word ‘war’ was at one time a ‘famous’ word, since there is no end to war. It is a pity that even now, there are wars in some countries. There are different causes for people to fight. It may be internal or international.

For some people the war is beneficial. They can sell their weapons and earn a good income. But I think it does not bring any good to anybody. It kills people, destroys properties and ends up making cripples of people.

War begins when people are greedy for power and wealth. They do not know how to be satisfied with what they have. They become selfish. Bomb explosions kill thousands of civilians. People have to live with constant fear every minute.

War destroys the peace in a country and affects its development. War is a futile endeavour.

N.B.G.Kavidi Mihisarani,
Grade 9,
Southlands College, Galle.

Winner: Dawn

The early part of the day is called morning or dawn. In the morning the sun rises, birds sing and flowers bloom.When morning dawns people wake up with the crowing of the cock.

Children get ready to go to school. Adults also get ready to attend to their daily work. It is the morning that wakes the world.

Shahira Ifthikar,
Grade 7 (Grls),
UNH International School, Wattala.

Winner: My hopes for this year

I am a student of Girls’ High School, Kandy. I am in Grade Seven. I learn many subjects such as English, Mathematics, Science, Sinhala and History. Among them, my favourite subject is English.

I read English newspapers and story books. I find many facts from English books. I hope to read more books this year.

I like sports such as netball, badminton and volleyball. I play netball every Friday and hope to continue with it.

My favourite hobby is gardening. I grow flowers, fruits and vegetables so that bees and butterflies will fly into my garden. I will improve this hobby in the future.

I will study hard and perform well in my examinations. Let’s hope that I could fulfil my dreams.

S.M.Charika Nilakshi Samarakoon,
Grade 7,
Girls’ High School, Kandy.

Winner: My favourite book

Madol Doova is the best book I have ever read. It was written by Martin Wickramasinghe in the 19th century. It is a popular children’s story. It has been translated into many languages.

Upali and Jinna are the main characters in this story. Both run away from home and live in an island. They go to Madol Doova and cultivate crops and lead successfu livesl.

Madol Doova is written in a simple language and is exciting to read. I like Jinna very much. It is an adventure story. You can learn many things by reading this book. I have read this book many times and I like it very much.

Induni Nayodhara Weerarathna,
Grade 9E,
St. Anthony’s Girls’ College.

The Esala perahera

The Kandy Esala perahera is the most colourful religious pageant in Asia. It has a long history. It is held annually in August.

The sound whip crackers, drum beaters, cast dancers and jugglers make the perahera grand. Hundreds of elephants take part in the perahera. I love this pageant.

Thejaka Jeromee Abeysekara,
Grade 2A,
Trinity College, Kandy.

The environment

The environment is our surrounding. It is made up of waterfalls, valleys, mountains and trees. Humans and animals obtain food and water from the environment. The population is increasing day by day. Human beings need to expand their habitats and they clear jungles.

When jungles are cleared for development, it affects the water cycle. There will be less rain and as a result we will be faced with droughts. We face dangerous floods and at times people lose their lives and properties. It is impossible for us to live without trees. So we must protect the environment.

M.A. Nethmi Yuwanika,
Grade 9,
Kalutara Balika National School,
Kalutura South.

My mother

My favourite person is my mother. Her name is Tharanga. She is tall and fair. She is very kind. My mother helps me with my school work. She narrates bedtime stories to make me fall asleep.

I love to listen to her stories. She is my best friend. My mother means the whole world to me. I love her a lot. I think that I am blessed to have a mother like her.

Thinhansa Vimukthi Alutwala,
Grade 2,
Asian International School, Colombo.

My favourite country

My favourite country is the United States of America. It is a well developed country. The Independence Day of America falls on the 4th of July. The Americans are friendly. America's currency is called the ‘Dollar.'

The national flower of America is the rose and the national bird is the eagle. The capital city of America is Washington. There are 50 stars and red stripes in the American flag. The 50 stars represent the 50 states in America. The New York city is the largest city and English is the national language. The President of America is Barack Obama. I love America very much.

P. Sajithraj,
Grade 8F,
Bambalapitiya Hindu College,
Colombo.

A trip to Trincomalee

I went on a school trip to Trincomalee with my friends recently. We left school at five o'clock in the morning and all of us were excited.

This was my first visit to Trincomalee and I liked the place a lot. First we visited the Kanniya hot water wells. There were seven wells and we felt the difference in temperature of the water in each of the wells. We did not bath there but only washed our faces.

From there we went to the Koneswaram kovil. There were different paintings on the wall. A pooja was being conducted in the temple when we were inside. The beauty of the whole Trincomalee district could be seen from the temple.

We felt tired and returned to our bus to have lunch. Cameras and mobile phones were prohibited in the temple. After lunch we went to the Navy camp, which was like a forest. We saw many machines, instruments and weapons which were used during the war. There were officers to explain the war.

A parade was conducted while we were about to leave. It was nice to see the troops marching. In the Navy camp there was a small harbour where we went on boat rides. I was excited as I had not sailed in a boat before. We saw the Tokyo Cement Factory, Prima Flour Factory and several ships. It was very pleasant.

We did not have enough time to visit Marble Beach and the Trincomalee beach. While returning we saw the Kinniya bridge which is the longest bridge in Sri Lanka. We returned home around 1.00 a.m. This was the first trip that I had gone from school with my friends. It was an unforgettable day in my life.

M.S.F. Shifka,
Grade 8B,
Lexicon International School,
Kurunegala.