Women's History Month essay winners announced
By News-Argus Staff
Published in News on April 26, 2006 1:46 PM
From staff reportsThe 12th annual Women's History Month essay contest awards program was held on April 6 in the Eastern Wayne High School Media Center.
This year's theme was "Women: Builders of Communities and Dreams."
Created and sponsored by the National Women's History Project, the contest is an annual celebration of the contribution of women. Students at the school were encouraged to write essays dealing with the theme of women who bring communities together and who restore hope in the face of impossible odds. Many of the entries were about women who had influenced the students' personal lives, such as a family member, teacher or other significant adult.
Honored for their essays were Shirlyn Davenport, first place; Hannah Emerson, second place; Brandi Butts, third place; and Deniz Alemdar and Sandra Taylor, honorable mention.
The school's media center sponsored the contest for the 12th straight year. Retired media coordinator Katherine Wolfe spearheaded the project. Liz Meador, retired English instructor at Wayne Community College, judged the essays. Prize money, $50 for first place and $25 each for second and third, was provided by the EWHS Parent Support Group.
Margaret Boothe Baddour, humanities and creative writing instructor at Wayne Community, spoke at the awards ceremony. Mrs. Baddour encouraged students to select something they are passionate about and become builders of communities. To illustrate her point, she used her own passions -- the arts, writing and theater -- as personal examples of being a builder of communities. She included several community leaders as examples, such as Emily Weil, who said, "Don't just talk about it; do it!" in her drive to renovate the Paramount Theater.