K-12 students awarded in MLK poster-essay contest

Twenty-four schoolchildren from around the state have won awards in ASU’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. poster-essay contest. They will receive savings bonds and prize ribbons from ASU President Michael Crow at a celebration breakfast Jan. 29 at ASU’s West campus in the La Sala Ballroom.

All the winning posters will be displayed at the event, and four children will read their first-place essays to the group. Also invited to the awards ceremony are their parents and teachers. More than 1,200 children entered the contest, each describing someone they know who leads through service to others.

The posters will be on display through January in the Tempe campus Memorial Union and the Polytechnic campus Student Union. Winning posters also may be viewed on the Web at http://www.asu.edu/vppa/photogallery.

The contest categories are primary, grades K-2; intermediate, grades 3-5; middle, grades 6-8; and secondary, grades 9-12. Following is a list of winners.

Posters – Primary (K-2)
1st – Gage Matthews, 2nd grade, Frost Elementary School, Mesa Public Schools
2nd – Katie Robertson, 2nd grade, The Shelby School, Payson
3rd – Braydon Pifer, 2nd grade, Franklin Northeast, Mesa Public Schools

Posters – Intermediate (3-5)
1st – Berenice Valenzuela, 3rd grade, Sunnyslope Elementary, Washington District, Phoenix
2nd – Nestor Figueroa, 4th grade, Manuel Pena Elementary, Cartwright District, Phoenix
3rd – Priscilla Pacheco, 4th grade, Manuel Pena Elementary, Cartwright District, Phoenix

Posters – Middle School (6-8)
1st – Aimee Graves, 8th grade, Mountainside Middle School, Scottsdale Unified District
2nd – Samara Solis, 7th grade, Royal Palm Middle School, Washington District, Phoenix
3rd – Bonnie Inman, 7th grade, Royal Palm Middle School, Washington District, Phoenix

Posters – Secondary (9-12)
1st – Chelsea Zablo, 10th grade, Gilbert Early College, Leading Edge Academy, Gilbert
2nd – Jimmy Ngo, 10th grade, Paradise Valley High, Paradise Valley Unified District
3rd – Colleen Richardson, 11th grade, Cibola High School, Yuma Unified District

Essays – Primary (K-2)
1st - Mariah Thomas, 2nd grade, Sequoya Elementary, Scottsdale Unified District
2nd - Annie Ethington, 2nd grade, Franklin Northeast, Mesa Public Schools
3rd - Jenna Belrichard, 2nd grade, Franklin Northeast, Mesa Public Schools

Essays – Intermediate (3-5)
1st - Tate Bair, 4th grade, Franklin Northeast, Mesa Public Schools
2nd – Hanna Gemmell, 4th grade, Acorn Montessori Charter School, Prescott Valley
3rd – Julia Hillock, 5th grade, Madison Elementary, Mesa Public Schools

Essays – Middle School (6-8)
1st – Jessica Brown, 7th grade, Acorn Montessori Charter School, Prescott Valley
2nd – Nicholle Johnson, 7th grade, Heard Academy, Ball Charter Schools, Phoenix
3rd – Katelyn Fiske, 7th grade, Acorn Montessori Charter School, Prescott Valley

Essays – Secondary (9-12)
1st – Gretchen Burnton, 10th grade, Chaparral High, Scottsdale Unified Schools
2nd – Andrew Fisher, 9th grade, Leading Edge Academy High, Lead Charter Schools, Gilbert
3rd – Sheena Powers, 11th grade, Gilbert Early College, Lead Charter Schools, Gilbert