Drugs can be a destructive force in society, shattering families and leading to crime. A lifetime of drug abuse often begins in school, which is why McMinnville Lions Club recently invited high school and middle school students to participate in an essay contest with the theme, “How Drugs Affect Teen Lives.”Students from a number of area schools participated, including Boyd Christian, Covenant Academy, Centertown, Eastside, Irving College, Morrison and Warren County Middle School.Students were rewarded for their winning essays with first place getting $50, second place $25, and third place $10 in each division.Winners in the high school division were: first Kerri Berenguer of Covenant, second Emma Rhoton of Boyd, and third Rhiannon Hoover of Boyd.The middle school winners were: first Brooke Powers of Morrison, second Lexi Loader of Eastside, and third Abigail Mathis of Centertown.The first-place finishers in each division advance to the district contest where winners will be awarded savings bonds of $1,500 for first place, $1,000 for second, $500 for third, $300 for fourth, and $200 for fifth.In the various schools, these students earned honorable mention.WCMS 7th – first Margnia Harris, second Hailey WoodCentertown 7th – first Hunter Adams, second Page Duloe, third Phoebe ShawCentertown 8th – second Ivy Vinson, third Juan JantesIrving College 7th – first Caylie Sherrell, second Anna Wanamaker, third Jalen SmithIrving College 8th – first Gabby Magness, second Cheslee Curtis, third Layton CartwrightMorrison 7th – second Riley Desmarais, third Levi G. CravenMorrison 8th – first Harley Boyd, second Sara Robinson, third Paige CoppingerBoyd 9th – third Philip BrockCovenant 7th – first Naina Patel, second Samuel Griffith, third Lance CurtisCovenant 8th – first Crosley Smith, second Lauren McDonald, third Chloe HillisCovenant 9th – first Hannah Griffin, second Will Whitlock, third Taylor MadewellCovenant 10th – second Kelly Winkler.