We received more than 75 essays for our Middle School Essay Contest! Thank you to all students who took the time to submit an essay, telling us why you were “growing your green!”

The winners below received a $50 savings bond, local event tickets and a gift bag of goodies. Congratulations!

I’m Growing My Green because...

Moo-la, dough, green backs, cash flow, whatever you call it, money is an important aspect of life. Granted, money can’t buy you love, immortality, or some of life’s other pleasures, but it can set you on track to a good future. That’s why I save my money in the bank, to help pay for a future college, or materials for schooling. Also, it’s nice to have some extra cash flow around, for that certain shirt your mother won’t buy you. On the other hand, having my money saved in a bank account prevents me from spending hard earned cash on something I’ll use once or twice. I actually have to make an effort, and go to the bank, not just reach into a pocket or purse.

Besides preventing me from spending all of it, I have a specific saving goal for my money. One word - college. I probably won’t have enough to pay for it all, (I’m counting on some scholarships to help me out with that), but it will help with materials, luggage, dorm expenses, etc. I don’t have to worry about college for a few years yet, but if I keep going like now, I’ll have quite a pretty penny saved for when I need it. After college, who knows? All sorts of possibilities are opened up, I could become a teacher maybe, or a professional librarian. Maybe even Broadway?

I’m Growing My Green because...

Life. It’s an unknown aspect that everyone is faced with. Nobody knows what exactly will be thrown at them or when exactly for that matter. I feel that because of the unexpected twists and turns that come along the road, I have to be ready. I have to remain on my guard for what things may just pop up, and that’s why I’m saving money.

College is an achievement in life that plans everything else out. It sets up your future, but sadly, it’s not very cheap. It costs more money than any teenager can afford in their eighteen years of life. That can cause a lot of problems for people, so what better way to get the money than to save it ahead of time?

I also want money to do the things that I love. I love to travel and to see new and exciting things, and to do that; I need to have some spare money. I have to be able to have some money that is on the loose, and I can only do that if I save my money the right way. Since bills and items needed for living come first, I have to save my money so that I will end up having at least a little bit leftover.

Without saving money, I wouldn’t have a plan for getting money when I get older. It’s not like I can just walk up to my parents and ask them for a few ten thousand dollars. It doesn’t work that way, and because of that I’m growing my green!

I’m Growing My Green because...

I want to save my money because I want to own an Equestrian Center. The way I can save my money is by opening a savings account or adding money to my existing account in the bank.

My Equestrian Center would be called “Eastpoint Equestrian Center”. The center would be in western Wisconsin. At Eastpoint I would sell, train and breed horses, give riding lessons, and also board other peoples’ horses. If there were a lot of horses boarding there, I would make rules for the owners to follow.

I would like to breed mainly Pony of the Americas (POA), some Paints and also some American Quarter Horses.
When I buy a house, I would fix up the property to make it shine. Some of the fences would be electric, others would be wooden panels painted white. There would be a big red or black gate in front of each pasture to easily get the horses in and out.

Eastpoint would have three big barns. One for an indoor arena with a lounge on top where people can look out and watch the horses. One barn for stalls. There would be at least 20 stalls. The last barn would be for grooming and extra stalls. The siding of the buildings and the house would be a gray-white color. All three barns would be heated for the winter and if the summer gets too hot, I would turn on the air conditioner. There would be an outdoor arena where people could ride and practice for shows. There would be a green round pen for the young horses to run and get their energy out, or for a new horse to get used to its surroundings.

I think that owning an Equestrian Center would be great. I am already saving my money so that this dream will come true.

I’m Growing My Green because...

I am growing my green because when I am sixteen I would like to have a car. I am fourteen right now and I am looking forward to my sixteenth birthday. I am planning on buying my father's work car when the lease runs out. To buy it, I will need around $3,000. My plan on saving $3,000 starts with getting a job. Most likely I will get a job working on a farm or working in a restaurant because I live on a farm and enjoy the outdoors and being next to food. Those would be my ideal jobs. Once I get a job I will have to calculate how long it will take to save enough money. Since it will be my first job, I plan on getting minimum wage, at least starting off. Once I calculate how long it will take to save enough I will plan out how much money I should put away each week to make sure that when I turn sixteen I can buy the car. If I do save up enough money to buy the car I will feel very proud but I won't be out of the woods yet. I will also need to buy things for the car such as gas, oil changes, and tune-ups. So once I have my job and I am making enough money I will most likely pursue a better paying job or if I am getting paid a decent salary at my current job and I like my hours I may stay with it. It will be a challenge saving up all of my money for the car I want but with persistence and self control I am sure I can achieve my goal.

I’m Growing My Green because...

Saving money is important because I earn interest. When I am older, I'll get a car and rent an apartment with my money. Later, I'll buy a house. I would also need money for insurance and taxes.

If I wouldn't save any money, I wouldn't be able to get these things. I wouldn't be able to get into college or get a good job. It's a good idea fo kids to save their money.

I’m Growing My Green because...

I’m growing my green because it would help me save money for college tuition and an old Mustang Fastback I want to eventually buy for my dad and I to work on together so I will have a nice car for when I get my drivers permit and then license in the next four years.  Saving money will help me achieve this goal by eventually building up enough money to pay for my college tuition and buying that Mustang which, if I keep long enough and in good condition, might be worth a lot of money after about twenty-five or thirty years.  I know that winning this savings bond would be a little chip off the amount I will have to pay for this, but it will eventually be more than fifty dollars that I will be very thankful for to help pay for these expenses.  Another reason, I hope to win this award is my family, teachers, and peers will be proud of me and I will be proud of myself.

Finally, winning this award would increase my chances of getting a college scholarship because it would show I can write a good paper to win other awards besides scholarships. These are the reasons I am growing my green and want to win this award, and I will continue doing as long as I need or want to.

I’m Growing My Green because...

Hi, My name is Sam Anderson and I am a seventh grader in River Falls.  I am growing my green so can I have a college fund. 

This is really important for me because the price for college tuition has sky rocketed in the past ten years and I don’t want to sink into a pile of loans for college.  I feel it’s important to go to college because it will give you opportunities to secure a good job, have an awesome education, and learn more about the world we live in.

It is important for me to start early because I don’t know which way the market is going or how much tuition will go up.  I have to save a portion of the money I earn and get for gifts for college in my savings account.  If I do, in the next few years it will add up to a respectable sum.

I don’t want to get caught in loans and remain idle in my education and not finish it.  My parents stress to me that it is tougher (possible, but tougher) to have a secure life as an adult if you don’t have an adequate education.  I agree with them because they both went to college and the have secure bank accounts and jobs.

To me, college is a sanctuary for knowledge. I’m really interested in Botany or Herpetology for my majors. I have always wanted to study and maybe become a Herpetologist.  That has always been a dream of mine and I hope it will be reality someday, but I am starting my plan for it now, and growing my green.

I’m Growing My Green because...

My name is Jayden Ottinger. I'm a sixth grader in Spring Valley. Saving money is really important to me because I have big plans for my future. I'm a straight A student, I tutor after school and I have two babysitting jobs. I'm saving my money so that I can go to college. I want to go into fashion design or music, so I'm in band and choir to keep my options open. College has always been a dream of mine. I hope that someday I can make a difference in the world by getting a good education. I want to go to college so that I have career options. I work extra hard in school to maintain my grades because I want to get into a good college. I'm also saving up for a nice car. I think saving money as a child is a great idea. It sure has given me a lot to look forward to after high school. That's why saving money is so important. It gives you a chance to make your dreams come true. It's a rewarding feeling to know that the money you save for the future is money that you worked hard for. The feeling of accomplishment is reward enough for me. That's why I save money.