May 27, 2007 — St. Croix Central High School students and teachers walked away from an award ceremony at Estate Whim Plantation Museum Saturday with more than $6,000 in cash prizes for winning essays about their “Laws of Life,” according to a release issued Saturday.
This is the fifth year that the character education essay contest has been presented on St. Croix. The contest is a joint project of the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands and the Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation and is funded entirely by the Gruber Foundation and Peter Gruber’s investment management firm, Globalvest Management Company.
Last week, an award ceremony was held on St. Thomas for students at Charlotte Amalie High School, Ivanna Eudora Kean High School and the Julius Sprauve School.
There are separate competitions for each grade in each school. First-place winners receive $500, second place, $250 and third, $150. There are also lesser cash awards to the teachers of the winning students as well as three honorable mention student awards of $50 each for each grade level.
Designed to motivate students to think and write about their values, the contest relies on public school English teachers to present the essay as a writing project in their classrooms and then to submit the best for judging. Focusing on content, rather than writing expertise, a panel of distinguished members of the St. Croix community acts as jury to choose the winning essays.
To read the winning essays online, click here.
The Central High School winners are:
9th grade
1st A’Jada Burke
2nd Danella Kirby
3rd Thea Knight
Honorable Mention: Fabinus Constable, Delroy Menzies, Nyal Oscar
10th grade
1st Shernelle James
2nd Alane Felix
3rd Iaryn Williams
Honorable Mention: Maquisha James, Kyris Soto-Nieves, Isabella Sylvester
11th grade
1st Michelle Rivera
2nd Jewelle Ible
3rd Zarai Qui?ones
Honorable Mention: Ernie Drummond, Gabriel Ible, Kamale Mable Jr.
12th grade
1st Elias Encarnacion
2nd Antonisha Marrero
3rd Keila Medina
Honorable Mention: Daniella Henry, Shantel James, Paula Sanchez
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