Flossmoor School District 161 is pleased to announce the results of the fourth annual CHARACTER COUNTS! essay contest.
The goal of the essay contest is to encourage children to reflect on the six pillars of character, which are Respect, Responsibility, Citizenship, Caring, Trustworthiness, and Fairness.
This year students in grades 3 to 8 were asked to write an essay in response to the prompt: "Imagine if the mayor of your town asks you how the town you live in could be made better for kids. What would you say?"
Children in kindergarten, first, and second grade were also invited to participate by drawing a picture, or combining an illustration with a paragraph.
The winners of this year's contest are as follows:
Third grade:
Runner-up, Orianna Williams, Serena Hills School, a gift certificate
to Rico's Pizza.
Winner, Nathan Lee, Western Avenue, a gift certificate to Flossmoor Station. Runner-up, Kellyn Gerenstein, Western Avenue School, a gift certificate to the Flossmoor Ice Cream Caboose.
Fifth grade:
Winner, Krystal Dureke, Heather Hill School, a gift certificate to
Rico's Pizza, Runner-up, Karlyn Miller-Cool, Serena Hills, a gift
certificate to the Flossmoor Ice Cream Caboose.
Sixth grade, Parker Junior High School:
Winner, Anisa Johnson, a gift certificate to Flossmoor Station.
Runner-up, Nora Grasse, a gift certificate to Rico's Pizza.
Seventh grade, Parker Junior High School:
Winner, Christin Salley and Kelsie Wilkins, gift certificates to
Flossmoor Station.
Runner-up Carl Shaeffer, a gift certificate to Rico's Pizza.
Eighth grade, Parker Junior High School:
Winner, Mikayla Gear, a gift certificate to Aurelio's Pizza.
Runner-up, Jordan Culpepper, a gift certificate to Family Video.
Judging the essays this year were Village of Flossmoor officials: Mayor Paul Braun, Chief of Police William Miller, and Assistant to the Village Manager Kimberly Richardson.
Other members of the contest judging committee included elementary school staff members Ruth Bennett and Joelle Mulhearn, Flossmoor Hills School; Rebecca Brink, Heather Hill School; Janet Burke, Anne Contreras, Haley Marti, and Kathryn Lause, Serena Hills School; Megan Mooney, Keely Moriarty, and Jenifer Reichardt, Western Avenue School; and Parker Junior High School staff members Traci Chirillo and Suzanne Hayden.
All of the participants will be honored at the Flossmoor School District 161 Board of Education Recognition program Monday, May 10, at Parker Junior High School at 7:00 p.m.
Fifth grade winner, Krystal Dureke of Heather Hill School.
