Local student writes award-winning essay




MICHAEL COONS/The Acorn  AWARD WINNER--Alexandria Academy student Eden Hanish, 13, won $1,500 for her essay on

MICHAEL COONS/The Acorn AWARD WINNER–Alexandria Academy student Eden Hanish, 13, won $1,500 for her essay on “Why is Integrity Important?”


By John Loesing
Acorn Staff Writer

Political chicanery, corporate shenanigans. These days, why trust anyone?


Eden Hanish, an eighth-grade student from Calabasas, says without integrity to guide us in our lives, society would be in real danger.


Recently, Eden wrote an essay about integrity titled "To Protect and to Serve" that won a contest from the Fraternal Order of Police. She earned a prize of $1,500.


The 12-year-old credits her success to the Alexandria Academy, a private school in Agoura Hills for grades three through 12.


Although math and science are said to be the girl’s strong points, Eden’s writing shows the polish and poise of a true penman.


"Personal integrity promotes and preserves harmony in our homes and in our relationships with others," she said in her essay. "Professional integrity maintains fair business practices and ensures good value for products or services received."


But, she warns, everybody’s interpretation of integrity is different.


"Personal integrity is closely related to one’s sense of honor, of doing what is right … When one is consistently truthful in speech and action, their relationship with others is also more consistent."


Integrity is important not only in law enforcement, but in all walks of life, she said. "…Integrity is important because it helps us to protect and serve each other."


Taking independent study courses at the private school has given Eden a much broader outlook on life, according to her mother, Loren Hanish.


"It’s the best of both worlds," said the mom. "You get a custom program and you still have all the wonderful academics, and you have the accredited part of school and you have the flexibility of independent study."


The school was founded eight years ago under the direction of Stacey McEnnan, a longtime home-schooling advocate who used independent study to raise her son and daughter.


"It just grew from that," said McEnnan, who has a doctorate degree in anthropology. "There was a need.


"I get a lot of very, very bright kids," she said. "Kids who graduate from community college when they’re 13, they come to us. I also get high school kids who’ve had problems with the system and it gets them out of the system."


Eden went to the private academy because health problems prevented her from attending regularly at A.E. Wright Middle School in Calabasas.


"It’s been a wonderful experience for her because from November to March she had a lot of health problems and she was missing a ton of school," said her mom. "They could not accommodate her."


At Alexandria, Eden meets once or twice a week with her personal teacher, goes over new subject material and picks up assignments.


The school is based at McEnnan’s home on Rainbow View Drive.


Mom said private school gives Eden more flexibility than public school. At the middle school, for example, advanced classes were offered in language and social studies, but not in math or science.


This summer at Alexandria Eden is taking ninth-grade math.


The school has 45 students altogether. The lower-grade students receive individual instruction and only the high school students meet in a group setting.


Eden’s social life hasn’t suffered by being out of the mainstream. She takes piano lessons, attends Hebrew school and remains close friends with several girls from the public school.


"Usually the kids are in other classes outside school time, like karate or dance and they have their friends there, so it isn’t usually an issue," McEnnan said.


Eden also likes to sing and loves participating in sports.


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