Annual Art & Essay Contest Archives

2010 Art Contest Winners

Elementary School

First Place: Jae William (Trinity 5th)

Second Place: Wilson Abshire (Cornerstone 5th)

Third Place: Ella Kiwala (Cornerstone 5th)

Middle School

First Place: Rhea-Donna Reyes (Fairview 7th)

Second Place: Natalie Jones (Swift Creek 8th)

Third Place: Emily Emmanuel (Trinity 7th)

High School

First Place: Danny Pomidor (FSUS 10th)

Second Place: Catie O’Leary (JPII 10th)

Third Place: (Wakulla High 11th)

2010 Essay Contest Winners

Elementary School

First Place: Bryan Metcalf (Florida State University School)

Second Place: Aliyah Kimelman (Cornerstone Learning Community)

Third Place: Alaina Foo (DeSoto Trail Elementary)

Middle School

First Place: Alexis Patty (Ft. Braden School)

Second Place: Dave Long (Swift Creek Middle)

Third Place: Carmella Donatone (Ft. Braden School)

High School

First Place: Adam McCabe (Maclay School)

Second Place: Lauren Henderson (Maclay School)

Third Place: Joe Kalicki (Maclay School)

2009 Art Contest Winners

Elementary School

1st place: Ella Kiwala (Cornerstone School, Ms. Kiwala)

2nd place: Wilson Abshire (Cornerstone School, Ms. Kiwala)

3rd place: Ross Donaldson (Cornerstone School, Ms. Kiwala)

Middle School

1st place: Mena Locke (Swift Creek Middle School, Mr. Veliz)

2nd place: Cole Brown (Cornerstone School, Ms. Kiwala)

3rd place: Frederick Saliba (Deer Lake Middle School, Ms. Phipps)

High School

1st place: Brice Kayiranga  (Godby High School)

2nd place: Alejandro del Real (Godby High School, Marx)

3rd place: Brittany Clark (Godby High School, Marx)

2009 Essay Contest Winners

Elementary School

1st place: Patten Abshire (Cornerstone School, Ms. Small - 5th Grade)

2nd place: Courtney Hamm (DeSoto Trail Elementary School, Ms. Noel - 5th Grade)

3rd place: Aliyah Kimelman (Cornerstone School, Mr. Flom - 4th Grade)

Middle School

1st place: Brittnay Carlisle (Ft. Braden School, Ms. Allen/Ms. Jackson - 8th Grade)

2nd place: Danielle Federico (Griffin Middle School, Ms. Woodruff - 6th Grade)

3rd place: Andrew Wilson (Maclay School, Ms. McDonnell - 6th Grade)

High School

1st place: Logan Harvey  (Wakulla High School, Ms. Murphy - 10th Grade)

2nd place: Andrea Torres (Wakulla High School, Ms. Murphy - 10th Grade)

3rd place: Lee McAllister (Maclay School, Ms. Davey - 12th Grade)

Click here to read the winning essays.

2009 Contest Judges

Paula Saunders (Chair, Judging Committee)

2008 Winners

Click here to read the winning essays.

Elementary School

1st place: Tatiana Gilliland (Roberts Elementary, Ms. Weld - 5th grade)

2nd place: Shayla Bussey Roberts Elementary Ms. Weld 5th grade

3rd place: Joelle Carbonelle (Gilchrist Elementary, Ms. Davis - 4th grade)

Middle School

1st place: Jennifer Berrian (Griffin Middle, Ms. Sterling-Woodruff - 8th grade)

2nd place:Willis John Bell (Swift Creek Middle, Ms. Rodriguez - 6th grade)

3rd place: Christina Notman (Trinity Catholic School, Ms. McCarron - 7th Grade)

High School

1st place:Dana Edwards (John Paul II Catholic High, Ms. Giglio/Mr. Daye - 10th grade)

2nd place: Kristina Giaritelli (Maclay School Ms. Davey - 12th grade)

3rd place: Jeremiah McCallister (Wakulla High, Ms. Murphy - 12th grade)

2008 Contest Judges

2007 Winners

Click on each first place winner's name to view their winning essay.

Elementary School

1st Place - Tenley Kiger
(Roberts, 5th Grade)

2nd Place - Alina Amador
(Apalachee, 4th Grade)

3rd Place - Kevonte Jackson
(Apalachee, grade 4)

Middle School

1st Place - Lindsey Grossman
(Swift Creek, 8th Grade)

2nd Place - Robbie King
(Maclay, 6th Grade)

3rd Place - Amy Looper (Swift Creek, 8th Grade)

High School

1st Place - Mark Stern (Maclay, 10th Grade)

2nd Place - Matthew Cowdery (Maclay, 12th Grade)

3rd Place - Natalie Seay (Godby, 10th Grade)

Everyone Learned From the 2007 Holocaust Essays

Holocaust survivor and Nobel Prize winner Elie Weisel said, "To speak about the Holocaust is impossible. To be silent is forbidden." One day there will be no survivors to speak about the Holocaust. That task will be left to the generations that follow.

Holocaust education is mandatory in elementary, middle and high school. But this year, for the first time, students had an opportunity to express what they learned in the classroom and compete for cash and other prizes in a writing contest. Three hundred seven students submitted essays in the first annual Holocaust Essay Contest, sponsored by the National Council of Jewish Women, Tallahassee Section, and the Florida Commission on Human Relations. Their assignment was to discuss the results of hatred and prejudice during the Holocaust and the lessons they learned about tolerance and respect for others. The essays were thoughtful, serious, personal and impressive.

Our group was honored to have guest survivors Toni Rinde and Lisl Schick from Clearwater and Sam Stern from Boston present awards at the ceremony. They also made a tremendous impact sharing their personal stories with students in six schools the following day.

In our eyes, all 307 essay writers are winners and should be congratulated. We also would like to acknowledge the parents, teachers, judges, the Leon County School Board and our sponsors and partners who helped make the 2007 Holocaust Essay Contest such a huge success. When we learn about tolerance and respect, we all win.

BARBARA GOLDSTEIN

RITA BLANK
Co-Chair NCJW Holocaust Essay Contest

PAULA SAUNDERS
Chair of Judging Committee