In memory of Paducah teacher and Murray State University alumna Fredrickia Hargrove, the annual contest is open to all K through 12 students in Paducah and McCracken County, and serves as a chance for students and their teachers to celebrate the life, work, and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The prompts for this year's contest focused on building bridges and not walls, including discussions on qualities that make an influential leader, the importance of creating an inclusive school environment, and how effective leadership means fostering collaboration over competition. Winners will be recognized at a special celebration on Sunday, January 19th at 2pm in Paducah Middle School.
Part of an ongoing partnership, WKMS works with the Paducah-McCracken County NAACP to showcase the contest winners and to record students reading their first-place essays. Here are this year's winners:
Division 1 (Poster)
• 1st Place: Lyla Carver (Lone Oak Elementary) Poster pictured above.
• 2nd Place: Raylen Randof (Lone Oak Elementary)
• 3rd Place: Ashton Kai ViersFarley (Concord Elementary)
Division 2 (Opinion Essay)
• 1st Place: Amelia Wade (Lone Oak Intermediate)
• 2nd Place: Maci Burden (Lone Oak Intermediate)
• 3rd Place: Jazmine Rodgers (Heath Elementary)
Division 3 (Argumentative Essay)
• 1st Place: Ariel Jones (Paducah Middle)
• 2nd Place: Abigail McNeely (Paducah Middle)
• 3rd Place: Sailor Tynes (Heath Middle)
Division 4 (Argumentative Essay)
• 1st Place: Ali Warmath (Paducah Middle)
• 2nd Place: Charlotte Bray (Paducah Middle)
• 3rd Place: Miles Chestnut (Lone Oak Middle)
Division 5 (Argumentative Essay)
• 1st Place: Jason Friedlander (Lone Oak Middle)
• 2nd Place: Sophie Wathen (Lone Oak Middle)
• 3rd Place: Emersyn Morgan (Lone Oak Middle)
Division 6 (Argumentative Essay)
• 1st Place: Naarah White (Paducah Tilghman)
• 2nd Place: Tallulah Midyett (Paducah Tilghman)
• 3rd Place: CoryOn Brooks (Paducah Tilghman)
Congratulations to all of this year's participants and winners!
Written copies of the winning essays can be available upon request. E-mail dlynn2@murraystate.edu for more information.
