Roseland Park Fourth-grade student, Julia Barr, knows a thing or two about caring. She was able to successfully convey her knowledge of that topic in the 2011 National Association For Family & Community Education’s Essay & Artwork contest in which “caring” was the theme.

Entrants were told to write an essay and do artwork that explained what caring meant to them.

Barr’s essay and artwork took top honors for the state of Mississippi and she is waiting to hear back on her placement in the National catagory from the awards committee.

“I didn’t really think much about it after I turned it in,” she says.

“I just try to do my best when I do something and leave it at that. I was surprised when I got called in from recess at school. I went into the office to see why they called me and my teacher and bunch of other people were there. They told me that I had won first place in the state. They gave me a big caring heart necklace and took my picture. It was exciting and surprising,” she recalls.

Linda Hanberry, State Committee member for the Association, says, “It’s all about caring. Julia is the perfect example of our theme. She cares about other people, what she does and how she does it. She cares that she does her best. Because of the person that she is, it comes natural to her. She did a great job of showing that in her writing and artwork.”

Barr’s father, George, teaches her that life is really about effort and that trying is more important than never failing.

Barr says, “My dad has told me that caring is not something you do; caring is something you are. It is why you do the good things that you do.”

Her father says, “She is always writing and drawing. She loves inspecting the details of whatever she is looking at. She pays attention to the small stuff and she will either draw or write about it.”

Barr knows that regardless of what happens on the national level, she is the top entrant from the state.

She says, “That is pretty big no matter what!”