The Paducah-McCracken County NAACP, in partnership with Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership, LLC, and WKMS, has announced the winners of the 2025-26 Fredrickia Hargrove Poster and Essay Contest. This annual event honors the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the respected educator Fredrickia Hargrove by giving students a chance to express themselves across the Paducah Independent and McCracken County Public School districts. This year's theme, "Empowering Our Youth to Be Agents of Change," encouraged students to think beyond passive learning and consider their roles in creating a fairer, more just world.
Read or hear this year's contest winners read their prize-winning works below.
Division 1: Grades K-3 (Poster Contest)
See winning poster above.
Students envisioned a "Beloved Community" by choosing to improve local public spaces through Nature (gardens), Art (murals), or Play (playgrounds).
- 1st Place: Jewel Hall, Morgan Elementary School
- 2nd Place: Ezra Ross, Lon Oak Elementary School
- 3rd Place: Iker Sales Montejo, McNabb Elementary School
Division 2: Grades 4-5 (Opinion Essay)
Students argued for the best way to create change: "Be the Voice That Speaks Out" (direct action), "Be the Hands That Help" (community service), or "Be the Example That Inspires" (personal excellence).
- 1st Place: Kinsey Riley, Heath Elementary School
- 2nd Place: Samuel Schweitzer, Lone Oak Intermediate School
- 3rd Place: Georgia Barnes, Lone Oak Intermediate School
Division 3: Grade 6 (Argumentative Essay)
Students debated the future of "Founders' Park," deciding whether to preserve history (keep the original name), honor a local hero (rename it), or build a new memorial.
- 1st Place: Benjamin Johnson, Paducah Middle School
- 2nd Place: Claire Wurth, St. Mary Middle School
- 3rd Place: Caroline Wurth, St. Mary Middle School
Division 4: Grade 7 (Argumentative Essay)
Students suggested strategies for a library exhibit: shaping public opinion through media, pursuing direct action and legal challenges, or a mixed approach.
- 1st Place: Madeline Rains, Paducah Middle School
- 2nd Place: Ayden Tucker, Paducah Middle School
- 3rd Place: Mackenzie Ryan, Paducah Middle School
Division 5: Grade 8 (Argumentative Essay)
Students offered advice to The King Center on whether to teach nonviolence as moral transformation, coercive power, or a mix of both.
- 1st Place: Aubrey Fisher, Paducah Middle School
- 2nd Place: Sharon Shi, Lone Oak Middle School
- 3rd Place: Ali Warmath, Lone Oak Middle School
Division 6: Grades 9-12 (High School Argumentative Essay)
High school students examined Kentucky policy, advocating for a justice system focusing on accountability, rehabilitation, or prevention.
- 1st Place: Emma Dee, St. Mary High School
- 2nd Place: Lucy Duran, St. Mary High School
- 3rd Place: Elliot Bidwell, Paducah Tilghman High School
The mission of the Paducah-McCracken County NAACP is to advance political, educational, social, and economic equality and eliminate discrimination to ensure the health and well-being of all persons in our community. The overall mission of the NAACP is to achieve equity, political rights, and social inclusion by advancing policies and practices that expand human and civil rights, eliminate discrimination, and accelerate the well-being, education, and economic equality for all people.
