Eight MPS students were among those who placed in the 30th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Speech Contest; four of them are pictured here: front row, left: Terynn Erby-Walker, Alcott School (2nd place, Grades 3-4); middle row, second from left: Amillia Bell, Golda Meir School (1st place, Grades 3-4); middle row, third from left: Ya’Nelyah Lucio, Alcott (1st place, Grades 5-6); back row: Donovan Nathaniel, Rufus King IB (2nd place, Grades 11-12)
Two MPS students placed first in their divisions in the citywide 30th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Speech Contest in December. Golda Meir student Amillia Bell took top honors in the Grades 3-4 category and Alcott’s Ya’Nelyah Lucio won the Grades 5-6 division. Amillia and Ya’Nelyah will be honored along with all winners of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speech, writing and art contests on Jan. 19 at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. The event is free and open to the public.
Students spoke up to four minutes each on this year’s theme, Nonviolence: The Most Potent Weapon. The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Speech Contest is sponsored by MPS and We Energies and, along with writing and art contests, aims to strengthen students’ skills while encouraging them to learn about and support the dreams of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Winners in the 30th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Speech Contest:
Paul Johnston, K-2 Winner, Eastbrook Academy; Amillia Bell, Grades 3-4 Winner, Golda Meir; Terynn Erby-Walker, 2nd Place, Alcott; Precious Orr-Price, 3rd Place, Travis Academy; Jonae Smith, Honorable Mention, Congress; Isabel Williams, Honorable Mention, Eastbrook Academy; Ya’Nelyah Lucio, Grades 5-6 Winner, Alcott; Kaitlyn Hippe, 2nd Place, Concordia University-Pilgrim Campus; Madison Eggert, 3rd Place, Eastbrook Academy; Amyrah Edwards, Honorable Mention, Congress; Nahom Fessehazion, Honorable Mention, Craig Montessori; Lyle Rivera, Grades 7-8 Winner, Woodlands; Keshawn Williams, 2nd Place, Travis Academy; Alexandria Eggert, 3rd Place, Eastbrook; Devin Henry, Honorable Mention, Westside Academy II; Lydia Boyd, Grades 9-10 Winner, Eastbrook Academy; Sheronica Staten, 2nd Place, Travis Technology; Lashawnda Anderson, Grades 11-12 Winner, Travis Vocational; Donovan Nathaniel, 2nd Place, Rufus King IB