One Nation, Under God
One Nation, Under God
Grades 1 and 2, back row: James Pearson, Hailey Welch, Lola Snell, Teonna Funk, Sommer Green and CharLee McColly. Front row: Saydee Kapp, Aeowyn Austin, Ireland Mears, Mia Moore, Jourdyn Fercho and Kennedy Simonson.
Grades 3 and 4, back row: Kendall Scheffelmear, Brisbin Reiter, Berkley Hillman, Jocelyn Brown. Front row: Owen Thompson, Branton Moore, Eva Yeadon and Amber Pearson.
Grades 7 and 8, back row: Thomas Jaynes, Cordell Younkin, Kelbee Denham, Sam Malmend and Wesley Leatherberry. Front row: Elise Strommen, Lauren Doney, Bonnie Jones and Annabelle Giblette.
Grades 5 and 6, back: Zachary Judd, Malachi Davis, Dallan Messerly, Connor Clausen, Hannah Nelson and Deion Lefdahl. Front row: Lane Thompson, Jaycee Erickson, Madison Williamson, Lavida White, Madyson Bain and Montaya Idler.
A total of 29 Phillips County Students – and a handful from Hinsdale and home schooled students -- took the Malta High School Auditorium Stage last Thursday night while 150 or so of their family and friends filled in the auditorium's seats for the 25th Annual Alpha Zeta Chapter Writing Contest Awards Ceremony.
"Tonight we are honoring those students who have been chosen by a group of judges on their writing of an essay on the topic of Celebrating Friendship," said Alpha Zeta member and Phillips County School's Superintendent Vivian Taylor.
Alpha Zeta is the local chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma, made up of female educators belonging to the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International which is a professional honor society which promotes professional and personal growth of its members and excellence in education. Taylor said that this year, Alpha Zeta received over 300 essays for the writing contest.
Prior the awards ceremony, Malta eighth grade student Bonnie Jones sat in the front row with her mother, also Bonnie Jones, waiting for the evenings event to get underway. Jones said she had been to several Alpha Zeta awards ceremonies and had taken first place in her grade range a couple of times. Because it wasn't her first time reading at the event, she said she wasn't nervous.
"I think my essay was okay," Jones said. "I had a lot of history in it...I'm not really that nervous."
"I am," admitted Mother Jones.
The students took the stage by class. Though both kindergarten and high school students both entered and placed in the contest, no representatives from those grades was on hand during the night. For the rest of the evening, each group of students – first through eighth grade – took to the stage to read their essays and find out where they placed. For honorable mention, students were awarded $5. Third place received $20, second received $25, first place took $40 and the grand prizewinner was awarded $50. When the night concluded, area students walked away with over $700 in combined winnings provided by the Alpha Zeta Chapter.
As luck would have it, Jones, who claimed to not be nervous prior to the ceremony, changed her tune a little bit following her first place finish in the seventh and eighth grade competition.
"I was really nervous," she admitted. "I don't know why, but there were so many ways I could mess up ... and then I did, I forgot to say my name before I started."
Jones, who enjoys history, included information about the Battle of the Bulge and one of man best friends, Shep, the herding dog of Fort Benton and Great Northern Railway fame in her essay, which helped her earn back-to-back, first place wins in the competition.
Each of the children who placed in the 25th Annual Alpha Zeta Chapter Writing Contest Awards Ceremony is pictured (on the right hand side of this story) and a complete list of the winners will run in the Phillips County News next week.
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