The winners of the Pulaski Street Juneteenth Writing Contest and their classmates were the guests of honor at an ice cream party in the cafeteria Friday, June 17, and on Saturday, June 18. The young writers read their essays and received a prize at the Juneteenth Picnic held at Ludlum Park in Flanders. The contest is sponsored by the East End Voters Coalition. The subject, Juneteenth, is about our nation’s celebration of freedom from slavery.
As part of the Juneteenth Essay Contest, fifth graders are invited to write a diary entry, in first person format, remembering our nation’s struggle with slavery. They were to imagine themselves as a young slave and write about their thoughts upon first hearing that all slaves were freed.
The following students were chosen as winners of the Juneteenth Essay Writing Contest: Patrick Guice, Abigail Payne and Jayra Barreto. As winners, the students will receive a $50 gift card. Three essayists received an Honorable Mention: Auset Exum, Simon Solarz and Shania Morris. The students, who received an Honorable Mention, will be receiving a $25 gift card.
Riverhead resident Robert “Bubby” Brown, one of the organizers of the Juneteenth celebration, noted, “All the entries were really excellent this year.”
Click here to read the winning essays.
Congratulations to these students on their outstanding work.
Source: Press release issued by Riverhead Central School District dated June 20, 2016.
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