Six Julius E. Sprauve School students took home brand new Kindle notebooks and more this week thanks to their original essays and poems detailing moving, personal stories of family members and friends struggling with and overcoming disabilities.

Disability Rights Center of the Virgin Islands Executive Director Amelia Headley LaMont announced the winners of an essay and poetry contest at an assembly in the Sprauve cafeteria on Tuesday morning, awarding prizes for the best essays and top poems, plus honorable mentions in each category.

Micheal Millin took home a Kindle Fire for his first-place essay, "My Grandmother’s Disability," which detailed his grandmother’s struggle with Alzheimer’s disease.

"I watched my Mom get very tired day after day, doing everything for her," Millin read from his winning essay. "This disease has its ups and downs. Some days my grandmother would know who you are and then the next moment she doesn’t know you at all."

Ki’Janne Alfred won a Kindle Fire for her first-place poem, "Mama," which shared the story of her great-grandmother’s battle with diabetes, to which she eventually succumbed.

"Like rain drops falling on a rainy day the tears ran down my face the day my grandmother died," read Alfred. "No longer was she suffering with the disease that took her life."

Ajahni Jeffers won a Kindle and a $25 gift certificate to Foot Locker for her second-place essay titled "My Great Grandmother’s Disability." Alisha Turnbull won a Kindle for her third-place essay, "The Great Helen Keller," and Jean Nestor took home a signed copy of Sen. Tregenza Roach’s poetry book "The Blessing of Rain and Other Poems," for being named honorable mention for his essay, "My Feelings about People with Disabilities."

Dasia Brathwaite’s poem, "Still a Person," earned her second place and a new Kindle and a $25 Foot Locker gift certificate, while Lee Christian won third place and a Kindle for his poem "Grandma’s Disability." Shikira Smith took home a copy of Roach’s book of poems for her poem, "Disability," which earned an honorable mention.

The contest tasked students with writing about their feelings regarding disabilities with a focus on creating awareness about disabilities being a natural part of the human experience.

"None of us are immune to disabilities," said LaMont. "This is the only group that you can join in an instant."

Lucinda Parsons and Kalisha Mathurin’s sixth-grade classes at Sprauve wrote their essays back in October after watching the documentary "Better to be Human," directed by Johanna Bermudez of Cane Bay Films, who was also on hand at this week’s assembly.

"I grew up on St. Croix and I thought about becoming an attorney because I really wanted to help people," said Bermudez. "Then I fell in love with films and I thought what better way to help the community than by making films about us and about our lives."

Disability Rights Center officials visited six schools across the territory in October to share information about the essay and poetry contest, yet Sprauve was the only school which took part in the program, explained Bermudez.

"We went to what they said was the smartest school in the territory and what they told us was the most challenged school and others," Bermudez said. "You were the only ones who got involved, put your hearts into it and took this contest seriously. Thanks to your teachers for helping to move this along too."

LaMont also credited the Sprauve sixth-grade teachers for encouraging their students to take part in the contest.

"We have to make special recognition of your teachers," said LaMont. "You have fabulous teachers here and you have a lot to be proud of."

Bermudez saw good things ahead for the Sprauve sixth-graders as well.

"You are going to do something and you are going to be someone special," she told the class. "Nothing is going to stop you."