The Aiken County Public School District, in partnership with Aiken Technical College and the University of South Carolina Aiken, is pleased to announce the winners of the 2019 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Essay and Creative Visual Posters Contests.
Winners of this year’s contests were selected by representatives of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Steering Committee. Contest winners will be recognized during the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration scheduled for 3 p.m. Jan. 27 in the USC Aiken Convocation Center.
Aiken County students in kindergarten through fifth grade participated in the creative visual poster contest. Their original designs represented what the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday means to them.
Winning entries for kindergarten to second grade were submitted by the following students: Bentley Huffman, first place, Mossy Creek Elementary; Nicole Rhodes, second place, Mossy Creek Elementary; and Hope Callahan, third place, Mossy Creek Elementary.
Winning entries for third to fifth grade were submitted by the following students: Ezekiel Green, first place, Mossy Creek Elementary; Katie Gillespie, second place Mossy Creek Elementary; and Jayke Carson, third place, Ridge Spring-Monetta Elementary.
Students who participated in the sixth- through 12th-grade essay contest were asked to explain what a selected quote from Dr. King meant to them. The quote chosen by the members of the committee was: “The time is always right to do what is right.”
Winning entries for middle school were submitted by the following students: Karsyn Newbegin, first place, LBC Middle; Mya D. Holston, second place, Kennedy Middle; and Savill Jensen, third place, North Augusta Middle.
Winning entries for High School were submitted by the following students: Jahleel Johnson, first place, Aiken High; Amber McGruder, second place, North Augusta High; and Robert Morris, third place, Aiken High.
All students in Aiken County, whether they attend a public or private school or are homeschooled, were eligible to participate in the contests.
The first-, second-, and third-place winners in each category and their families are invited to attend the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration where they will be seated in an area designated for honorees. The first place winner of each category will receive a grand prize.
Winning poster entries will also be displayed in the lobby of the USCA Convocation Center during the community celebration.
Aiken Technical College and USC Aiken serve as co-sponsors for the annual celebration.
Read the full Aiken Standard article HERE