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Contact: Marilyn Marks, 609-258-3601

Jan. 9, 2001

Princeton University announces winners of essay, poster contests honoring Dr. King

Princeton, N.J. -- As part of its celebration of Martin Luther King Day on Jan. 15, Princeton University will award prizes to area students who participated in essay and poster contests. The event begins at 1 p.m. Jan. 15 in Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall, on the Princeton campus.

The featured speaker at the celebration will be the University's new vice president for campus life, Janet Smith Dickerson. The program also will feature music by the New York Daily News Carribeat CASYM Steel Orchestra, a group of 50 students ages 6-18, that performed at the University's 1999 Martin Luther King Day program. (CASYM stands for Caribbean American Sports and Cultural Youth Movement.) The free Jan. 15 celebration is open to the public. For information, call (609) 258-6429.

For its essay contest, the University asked students in grades 7-12 to write a letter to President-elect George W. Bush, advising him on what he should say or do to improve relations between the races in this country and to help our country achieve the goals of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Essays were submitted by 419 students from 20 schools.

In the poster contest, 338 students in grades 4-6 from 17 schools submitted entries. Students were invited to create posters that could be used on Inauguration Day to convey a message about how we can all help to improve race relations and make Dr. King's dream come true.

Below are the names and schools of the winners, followed by excerpts from many of the essays received. The winning poster by Ryan and Kyle Czepiel, twins in the fourth grade at the Antheil School in Ewing, is available online at
www.princeton.edu/pr/pictures/other/mlk/poster2001/
(preview available at
www.princeton.edu/pr/pictures/other/mlk/poster2001/preview/poster.jpg ).

The essay contest winners are:

Grades 7-8

First Prize ($100): Christian Ginez, grade 7, Crossroads Middle School, South Brunswick
Second Prize ($50): Amena Rahman, grade 7, Crockett Middle School, Hamilton
Third Prize ($25): Andrew Petillo, grade 8, Melvin H. Kreps Middle School, East Windsor

Honorable Mention: Jane Dobkin, grade 7, John Witherspoon Middle School, Princeton
Melissa Gomes, grade 8, Melvin H. Kreps Middle School, East Windsor
Chelsea Jones, grade 7, Columbus Elementary School, Trenton
Francesca Larson, grade 7, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton
Alexander Littauer, grade 8, Chapin School, Princeton
Joseph Moore, grade 8, St. Paul's School, Princeton
Katharine Silberstein, grade 7, Crockett Middle School, Hamilton

Grades 9-10

First Prize ($100): Juliana Kunz, grade 10, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton
Second Prize ($50): Lindsay Grabowski, grade 10, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton

Honorable Mention: MarTynique Ferguson, grade 10, Princeton High School, Princeton
Katherine Ludlow, grade 9, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton
Kavita Mathews, grade 9, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton
Dana Smith, grade 9, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton
Priscilla Thambiah, grade 10, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton

Grades 11-12

First Prize ($100): Nick Shungu, grade 11, Lawrence High School, Lawrence
Second Prize ($50): Elizabeth Catanese, grade 11, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton

Honorable Mention: Annie Butler, grade 11, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton
Krysten Fertonardo, grade 12, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton
Liz Foster, grade 11, Lawrence High School, Lawrence
Noor Ibrahim, grade 11, Princeton High School, Princeton
Cristina Salmastrelli, grade 12, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton

See related page of
excerpts from the winning essays

The poster contest winners are: 

First Prize ($100): Ryan and Kyle Czepiel (twins), grade 4, Antheil School, Ewing
Second Prize ($50): Greg Stokes, grade 5, Chapin School, Princeton
Third Prize ($25): Caroline Lindseth, grade 5, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton

Honorable Mention: Della Bonhage, grade 5, Parkway School, Ewing
Virginia Farrell, grade 4, Riverside School, Princeton
Caitlin Flynn, grade 5, Sayen School, Hamilton
McKay Joseph, grade 4, Lalor School, Trenton
Patrick Li, grade 4, West Windsor-Plainsboro Upper Elementary School, Plainsboro
Caroline Plat, grade 5, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton

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