Area students win prizes in Princeton University's Martin Luther King Jr. Day essay and poster contests

PRINCETON, N.J. -- A record number of students from Princeton area schools submitted entries in the annual essay and poster contests sponsored by Princeton University in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Prizes will be presented at a ceremony that begins at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 20, in Richardson Auditorium of Alexander Hall on the campus. The featured speaker will be Eddie Glaude Jr., an associate professor of religion and a member of the committee that oversees Princeton’s Program in African-American Studies. The program will be preceded by a half-hour concert, beginning at 1 p.m., by the CASYM Steel Orchestra, a group of students from New York that has performed at two previous Martin Luther King Jr. Day programs.

The winning posters -- and others -- will be on display during and after the program, which is open to the public and free of charge.

For the essay contest, students in grades 7-12 were invited to create a script for a 30-second radio spot that could be broadcast on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to remind listeners of the meaning of the day and to encourage them to do their part to increase understanding and improve relations among people of all races. Essays were submitted by 542 students -- the highest number ever -- from 17 schools.

Students in grades 4-6 were invited to create a billboard that could be installed along a major roadway for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Posters were submitted by 570 students -- also a record number -- from 19 schools.

The essay contest winners are:

Grades 7-8

First Prize ($100): Amisha Ahuja, grade 7, Lawrence Middle School, Lawrence
Second Prize ($50): Ricky Waller, grade 8, Melvin H. Kreps Middle School, East Windsor
Third Prize ($25): Rachel Filo, grade 7, Melvin H. Kreps Middle School, East Windsor
    Tara Phillips, grade 8, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton
Honorable Mention:
Evie Cox, grade 8, The Pennington School, Pennington
Peter Day, grade 7, American Boychoir School, Princeton
Bisola Egbe, grade 8, Chapin School, Princeton
Eleanor Hayes-Larson, grade 8, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton
Matthew Michalski, grade 8, Crockett Middle School, Hamilton

Grades 9-10

First Prize ($100): Ellen Kraft, grade 9, Villa Victoria Academy, Trenton
Second Prize ($50): Caitlin Murray, grade 10, Villa Victoria Academy, Trenton
Honorable Mention:
Teresa Bayer, grade 9, Villa Victoria Academy, Trenton
Manisha Bhattacharya, grade 10, West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South, West Windsor
Julian Fung, grade 10, West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South, West Windsor
Christian Ginez, grade 9, South Brunswick High School, South Brunswick

Grades 11-12

First Prize ($100): Leslie Hart, grade 11, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton
Second Prize ($50): Tony Manela, grade 12, West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North, West Windsor
Honorable Mention:
Eric Beam, grade 12, West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North, West Windsor
Corey McCullough, grade 12, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton
Alexandra Pintchouk, grade 11, Stuart Country Day School
Kathrine Schmidt, grade 12, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton
Anna Stetsovskaya, grade 12, West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South, West Windsor

The poster contest winners are:

First Prize ($100): Sophia Ginez, grade 5, Indian Fields Elementary School, Dayton
Second Prize ($50): Kate Jokubaitis, grade 5, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton
Honorable Mention:
Jahmar Bogle, grade 6, Holland Middle School, Trenton
Sierra Downs, grade 5, Sayen School, Hamilton
Bianca Garcia, grade 6, Crockett Middle School, Hamilton
Ilona Haidvogel, grade 6, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton
Zola Hertz-Bunzl, grade 4, Littlebrook School, Princeton
Thomas Johnson, grade 5, Granville Charter School, Trenton
Rakhee Lalla, grade 6, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton
Nicole Levine, grade 5, Village School, West Windsor
Michelle Romano, grade 6, Melvin H. Kreps School, East Windsor
Rosie Yeboah, grade 5, Walter C. Black School, Hightstown

For further information, call the University's Office of Public Affairs at (609) 258-6429.