Martin Luther King Jr Essay Competition winners
Winners in the fifth annual Jamaica Observer/United States Embassy Martin Luther King Jr Essay Competition, Khamal Clayton (left) of Cornwall College, Kenasha Kalphat (3rd left) of Excelsior High School, Shaneka Lewin (2nd right) of Clarendon College, and Abde Lee of Norman Manley High School, pose with James T Heg (3rd right), chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy, and Neville Wallace, general manager sales and marketing at the Observer, yesterday at the awards ceremony at the Observer’s head office in Kingston.
Just over 160 entries were received in this year’s competition which, based on Dr King’s Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech in December 1964, asked students to consider how they would put the principle of non-violence into practice in their neighbourhood or in Jamaica and what steps would they take to help create a non-violent environment.
Each winner received a full set of Jamaica Observer CXC Lecture Series books for their respective school libraries along with their CXC Lecture Series books of choice.
Kenasha Kalphat, the first prize winner in the 17-19 age group, also received a cash prize of J$30,000 from the US Embassy; Dr King’s books and CD sets; one year’s subscription of TeenAge, the Observer’s weekly magazine written by teens for teens.
Khamal Clayton, who won the second prize in the 17-19 age group, also received a cash prize of J$15,000 from the Jamaica Observer; Dr King’s books and CD sets; and one year’s TeenAge subscription.
Abde Lee, the first prize winner in the 13-16 age group, was also presented with a cash prize of J$30,000 from the US Embassy; Dr King’s books and CD sets; and one year’s TeenAge subscription.
The second prize winner in the 13-16 age group, Shaneka Lewin, also received a cash prize of J$15,000 the Jamaica Observer; Dr King’s books and CD sets; and one year’s TeenAge subscription.
The competition encourages students to read, research and write while exposing them to Dr King’s ideals of non-violence and social equality.
The winning essays, as well as photos from the awards ceremony, will be published in next Tuesday’s TeenAge.
