March 23, 2001 – Sen. Lorraine Berry announced Thursday the three winners of her annual Black History Month essay contest. They were chosen from 176 entries.
First place was taken by Tahmisha Harrison of J. Antonio Jarvis Elementary School, with Chantel Raymond of Nisky Moravian School taking second place and Chantal Cooper of Ulla Muller School taking third.
The essays are between 500 and 750 words. The winners will receive savings bonds of $500, $300 and $200, respectively. The winners will be invited to make their presentations at the annual Youth Symposium April 7, held this year at Palms Court Harborview Hotel. The symposium will be attended by school officials and about 400 students.
This is the second year of the contests, which began in 1995, to have a sexually explicit theme.
Last year 150 high school students submitted essays on "Education First, Family Later."
On the advice of several educators, Berry focused this year's contest on the younger students from the junior high schools and elementary schools in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades.
Held in partnership with the Adolescent Health Program of the Department of Education, Berry applauded Ruby Simmonds, Education commissioner and all English class teachers of public and private schools for encouraging their students to tackle the sensitive topic. The students' essays express their thoughts about how to discourage sexual advances.
Judges of the contests will speak at the symposium. They are: Gene Emanuel, University of the Virgin Islands professor; Patricia Hector, Evelyn Marcelli Elementary School teacher and union representative; Helen Browne, English major educator; Howard Newton, UVI professor; Diana Richardson, UVI Human Resources administrator; and Diana Parker, superintendent of Catholic schools.