The 4th annual Lifting Up Westchester Student Essay Contest is taking place. Each year we ask students to write about an important topic that relates to the work of Lifting Up Westchester. Our topic this year, “What I Learned from the Pandemic,” invites students to reflect deeply on and write about how the Pandemic has changed so much and challenged so many. This topic is enormous and enormously important. Because of that, we have structured this year’s contest so that students can write about one of two areas: “The Effects of the Pandemic,” or “Can Anything Good Come Out of the Pandemic?” While COVID-19 rages across America, our students’ resiliency, their personal experiences and how they will help us shape a better future are critical to a collective, positive, path forward. Students are challenged to think about questions such as:
What was the biggest change(s) or challenge(s) you personally or the country experienced during the pandemic?
How do you think those challenges or experiences were the same or different for individuals who are homeless or low-income?
What has the pandemic exposed about economic and social inequities in the U.S.?
Many schools moved to remote learning because of the Pandemic. Has this had a positive or negative impact on you or your classmates, and what have you learned from it?
The contest is open to all Westchester students in grades 7th through 12th. Prizes will be awarded in three grade categories: 7th & 8th, 9th & 10th and 11th & 12th. First prize is $500, 2nd prize is $250 and 3rd prize is $100.
Students can go online to Lifting Up Westchester to enter the contest. The contest is open from today until January 29, 2021 at 5:00 PM. Students need to fill out the online form and then upload their essay as a PDF. More material, specific questions to address and points awarded for each area of the essay can be found here on Lifting Up Westchester’s website.