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ing by officers, who sat down to choose the winners of the fourth annual Black History Month Essay Competition for fifth- to eighth-grade students in the dis- trict. Stories eagerly penned by young students vying for a grand prize of $500 focused on influential black figures from distant history, American history or re- lated family members.
Officer Tonya Collins heads the event every year. She shared that the officers making decisions about the winning pieces look for innovative stories that highlight the vitality of black contribu- tions to the historical landscape.
“We’re looking for information to take away,” Collins relayed. “Why they chose that person, what impact they’ve had on them in their life and what they learned from the experience, based on what they chose to write about.”
The district awarded 10 students win- ning honors on Feb. 28, with first place receiving $500, second place receiving $250 and third place receiving $100. The remaining winners received $50 and ted- dy bears in blue uniforms.
Collins stressed that highlighting black history is a type of representation that is imperative to the development of young students of color. The contest
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The Third District held its fourth annual Know Your Heritage Trivia Bowl to teach students about Black History Month.
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