Essay Contest Winners
Texas Secretary of State Gwyn Shea announced the winners of the statewide student essay contest entitled, "What Voting Means to Americans" at a press conference in the Texas Capitol at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, November 8th, 2002. The contest, announced in newspapers statewide, drew more than a thousand entries by the October 21st deadline.
Student's essays were divided into 3 categories: grades K-5, grades 6-8, and grades 9-12. Finalists were selected by a panel of judges, comprised of Micheal Hodges, Executive Director of the Texas Press Association, Nancy McMurrey, formerly with the Texas Cable and Telecommunications Association, and Nelda Wells Spears, Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector.
The Office of the Secretary of State would like to thank the nearly 1,400 students who submitted an essay--your essays were wonderful, and the judges had a really hard time making the final selections! "I'm so pleased to see the level of interest generated among Texas students for our essay contest. Although these students are not yet voters, they exude an enthusiasm for our nation's democratic ideals and system of free elections that should serve as an example to all Texans," said Secretary of State Shea.
On that note, the nine winning essays from the essay contest entitled "What Voting Means to Americans" are currently on display on the ground floor of the Capitol rotunda. The essays will be on display until Friday, November 22nd, 2002. Please find below the photographs of the exhibit. Congratulations Winners!
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The following are the list of 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners, along with their essays, in each of those categories. Congratulations winners!!!
K-5
Winners |
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John Anthony Bojanski |
Rachel Waldman |
Catherine Martin |
6th-8th
Grade Winners |
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Cierra McGill |
Veronica Page |
Rachel Heydemann |
9-12
Grade Winners |
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Andrew Moore |
Kayla Halfmann |
Sylvia Y. Pina |