Thursday, May 05, 2022
Congratulations to the Winners of the 2022 Hope and Stanley Adelstein Essay Contest
Thank you to all the students who entered the 2022 Hope and Stanley Adelstein Essay Contest!
We are excited to announce this year’s winners for the following prompt:
In recent months there has been a lot of debate about Critical Race Theory (CRT) being taught in classrooms across America. The anti-CRT movement has inspired parents to voice concerns at school board meetings and state legislators to ban the use and teaching of CRT in K-12 classrooms. The legislation proposed in Ohio doesn’t name CRT directly, but it prohibits a set of concepts from being taught or used as content in professional development. A very similar law in Texas specifically prohibits the use of the New York Times’s 1619 Project in public school classrooms.
What is at risk if this kind of legislation passes? Reflect on the important lessons you’ve learned at school about our national history. Are there specific aspects of our history that deserve more attention or something you think should not be taught at school? America prides itself on being a champion of free speech and a beacon of democracy. How would limiting what teachers can teach complicate our idea of freedom of expression? How would you recommend your state government address the ongoing debate over CRT and systemic racism?
9/10th Grade
1st place: Neha Sangani, Hathaway Brown School
2nd place: Deanna Robb, Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy
3rd place: Shannon Katzenberger, Lakewood High School
Honorable Mention: Hahna McCoy, Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy
11/12th Grade
1st Place: Keira Ritzman, Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy
2nd Place: Aiden Owens, University School
3rd place: Sahar Maleki, Hathaway Brown School
Honorable Mention: Kaitlyn Bitter, Lakewood High School
View the First-Place essays here: 9/10th Grade | 11/12th Grade
Thanks to a gift from Hope and Stanley Adelstein, the winners will receive cash prizes for their tremendous work.
