Baltimore County Public Schools: Winners announced for BCPS 2021 Black History Month Writing Contest

Press release from Baltimore County Public Schools:

Feb. 24, 2021

Towson, MD – What do a drawing (with caption) about Vice President Kamala Harris, a poem about writer/activist Maya Angelou, an essay about Olympian Wilma Rudolph, and a play about a student meeting the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., have in common?

They are all winning entries in the annual BCPS Black History Month Writing Contest, coordinated by the Baltimore County Public Schools Office of Social Studies and Office of English Language Arts. The contest had as its prompt a quotation by business executive and civil rights leader Vernon Jordan: “You are where you are today because you stand on somebody’s shoulders. And wherever you are heading, you cannot get there by yourself.”

“You are where you are today because you stand on somebody’s shoulders. And wherever you are heading, you cannot get there by yourself.”

Students in Kindergarten through Grade 12 from all BCPS schools were invited to respond to the quotation by writing about how an African American leader (i.e., author, artist, athlete, activist, scientist, educator, musician, or other public figure) has inspired them to achieve or to pursue a goal. Students could respond to the prompt by researching their chosen figure and writing a personal essay, letter, speech, script, or poem. Students in Kindergarten through Grade 2 could submit a drawing and caption instead.

Students in Kindergarten through Grade 12 from all BCPS schools were invited to respond to the quotation by writing about how an African American leader (i.e., author, artist, athlete, activist, scientist, educator, musician, or other public figure) has inspired them to achieve or to pursue a goal. Students could respond to the prompt by researching their chosen figure and writing a personal essay, letter, speech, script, or poem. Students in Kindergarten through Grade 2 could submit a drawing and caption instead.

The winning entries can be seen in a BCPS blog post. The winners and students receiving honorable mention are:

The winning entries can be seen in a . The winners and students receiving honorable mention are:

Grades K – 2

Winner: Tanaaya Abraham, Timonium Elementary

Honorable Mention: Alexis Cook, Honeygo Elementary

Grades 3-5

Winner: Landon Brown, Riderwood Elementary

Honorable Mention: Kendall Brown, Riderwood Elementary

Grades 6-8

Winner: Fatimah Olufayo, Northwest Academy of Health Sciences

Honorable Mention: Sylvia George, Parkville Middle

Grades 9-12

Winner: Oluwaseye (Mary) Onasanya, Milford Mill Academy

Honorable Mention: Jazmin Gonzalez, Kenwood High

Honorable Mention: Jazmin Gonzalez, Kenwood High

This press release was produced by Baltimore County Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.