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Student Essay Contest Winners

LWV Greenwich is pleased to announce the results of our Fourth Annual Student Essay Contest.  Students in grades 3-12 who live in or go to school in Greenwich responded to a prompt by grade level - see below.   Every entry was outstanding; read the top papers below. The Award Winners were recognized at our Annual Dinner on Wednesday, June 7th, at the Riverside Yacht Club.

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Grades 3-8

 Over, Under, and Through Thunder, I think
15 - 16 Is A Great Number  by Callie Smith

 Federal Voting Age  
by Youhan Liang

 Why Sixteen and Seventeen-Year-Olds Deserve
the Right to Vote  by Sara Rahimtula

Grades 9-12

Puerto Rico: America’s Last Colony 
by Aubrey Niederhoffer

Felon Disenfranchisement: The Unjust
Deprivation of Felon’s Rights  by Claire Maher

'Breaking the Chains: A Constitutional Imperative
for Democracy'  by Carina Adams-Szabo


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Callie Smith
Over, Under, and Through Thunder, I think 15 - 16 Is A Great Number
Callie Smith
Sacred Heart Greenwich, Grade 5
Callie Smith was born October 15th, 2011, and resides in Stamford, CT with her proud parents and younger brother. She is a 5th grade student at Sacred Heart Greenwich where she participates in Soccer, Swimming, and Track. Callie is a friend to everyone, enemy of none and to know her is to love her. She exhibits a very caring and compassionate nature about her. Avid animal lover and reader. Callie takes particular interest in Harry Potter novels. When she is not reading or creating stories of her own, she enjoys drawing, camping, traveling, and baking. One day Callie hopes to own her own farm and care for rescued animals.


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Youhan Liang
Federal Voting Age
Youhan Liang
Eastern Middle School, Grade 8
My essay talked about the pros and cons of raising and lowering the voting age, concluding that the federal voting age should stay at 18. I wrote this because the federal voting age is a topic that young people should understand so that they can execute their right to vote.


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Sara Rahimtula
Why Sixteen and Seventeen-Year-Olds Deserve the Right to Vote
Sara Rahimtula
Eastern Middle School, Grade 8
Sara Anderson Rahimtula is in the eighth grade at Eastern Middle School. Her essay explored the merits of lowering the minimum voting age to 16. She was inspired by the positive impact numerous teenagers have on our world and feels strongly that the youth of our nation deserve a voice in government. Her interest in democratic issues stems from growing up with lively discussions with family members from a diverse range of political backgrounds who have served both in the White House and Canadian Parliament. She has a particular interest in women’s rights and issues of equality. In addition to spending time with friends, Sara enjoys playing squash and the piano and is a member of the Junior First Selectman’s Youth Commission, Student Council, debate team, and math team.

Elementary School
and Middle School



The minimum federal voting age in the US is 18. 

Do you think it should be changed? 

If not, why not?

  • If so, to what age and why?
 

Prizes:

High School



The American people have expanded voting rights in the U.S. Constitution several times.

 

 

Prizes: 

  • First Prize: $500 for college tuition
  • Runners Up: $250 for college tuition

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Aubrey Niederhoffer
Puerto Rico: America’s Last Colony 

Aubrey Niederhoffer
Greenwich High School, Grade 11
I'm Aubrey Niederhoffer, a current junior at Greenwich High School. I am passionate about issues of international development. In particular, I have taken an interest in the small African country of eSwatini, where I currently run a company called Amalgam Talent that works to find work at US companies for highly qualified Swazis, who often would otherwise have little prospect of obtaining gainful employment. As for the topic of my essay, the treatment of America's territories has always seemed indefensibly oppressive to me. I chose to focus my essay on Puerto Rico because it is the most egregious example of a territory that the United States continues to treat as an inferior colony.


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Claire Maher
Felon Disenfranchisement: The Unjust Deprivation of Felon’s Rights 
Claire Maher
Sacred Heart Greenwich, Grade 11
My name is Claire Maher, and I am a junior in high school at Sacred Heart Greenwich. An American history course I took this year inspired my essay on the disenfranchisement of felons as it provoked my belief that total citizen participation in elections is the most critical part of the American democratic process. Further, my ability to vote in the next election contributed to my ideas in this essay, namely that suffrage is a national right regardless of one's criminal record.


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Carina Adams-Szabo
'Breaking the Chains: A Constitutional Imperative for Democracy' 
Carina Adams-Szabo
Greenwich High School, Grade 12
As a rising senior at Greenwich High School looking forward to a career in law, the judicial system has always been of interest to me. My essay on voting rights for felons is meant to highlight why civic engagement should be encouraged to promote a strong, integrated society. By allowing them to participate in the democratic process, we can promote rehabilitation, reduce recidivism, and foster a sense of civic responsibility among those who have served their sentences.

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Twenty volunteers judged the essays. To them, all essays were anonymous both by individual and by school. Every submitted essay was read by at least two judges. The grading rubric included assessments of the essay’s organization, of the persuasiveness of the argument, and of whether the author documented their research. The essays submitted by all winners were checked to ensure original work. Each of the essays represents dedication and a commitment of time to research, to write, and to submit. All were impressive and deserving of individual recognition for each student's contribution.

The judging panel included LWV Greenwich President Sandy Waters, and Board Members Nancy Duffy,  Ann Edwards, Beth Gilliland, and Nicole Orlofsky; retired educators Sue Baker, Jean DiVincenzo, Janet Marchand, Anthony Moor, Susan Rattray, and Ann Sampson; teacher Kathy Myer; Greenwich Magazine Founding Editor Donna Moffly; Greenwich Board of Education Chair Joseph Kelly, Greenwich Selectpersons Lauren Rabin and Janet Stone McGuigan, Connecticut State Representatives Hector Arzeno and Rachel Khanna, and Connecticut State Senator Ryan Fazio.

If you have any questions, please
e-mail us at YouthOutreach@LWVGreenwich.org .


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