The Pulitzer Center and Civitas Associates hosted an essay contest… Below are the winners with links to their work!

Hope Bretscher Parkway West, 2011
Niki Esser St. Joe’s, 2011
Kelsi Feltz, Lindbergh, 2010
Marc Fernan, S.L.U.H., 2011
Rosemary Howell, St. Joe’s, 2010
Olivia Huddleston-Boatman, Metro, 2012
Haroon Ikram, Soldan, 2009
Sonya, McCanna, Nerinx, 2011
Claire Meyer, Nerinx, 2010
Martha Orlet, Nerinx, 2011
Maria Sanchez, Nerinx, 2012
Gulmakai Zulmai, Soldan, 2009
Ruby Varghese, Hixson Middle School
Alison Wuensch, Hixson Middle School
Soomin Cho, John Burroughs Middle School
Hannah Hiler, John Burroughs Middle School
David Blout, St. Louis University High School, 2009

About the contest: Your school must be a member of the Pulitzer Gateway to participate. For information on how your school can join, contact: globalgatewayATpulitzercenter.org

Topic: What are the similarities and differences between the issues of abuse and violence towards women and children in our local community and those in countries such as Nepal, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Iraq? Be sure to address what services and programs are available or lacking for women and children in each setting

Length: The essay should be approximately 500 words long.

Deadline: The deadline for submission is Friday, May 1, 2009

Awards:

· Best essay by a senior from each school: $50.00

· Best essay by an undergraduate (9th-11th grades) from each school: $50.00

· The undergraduate winners must agree to be “Pulitzer Ambassadors” for their next school year (see below)

· Best essay from all schools by a senior: $250.00

· Best essay from all schools by an underclassperson: $250.00

· This undergraduate winner must agree to be a “Pulitzer Fellow” for the program at-large next year (see below)

Winners also receive:

All winners receive an embossed and signed certificate from the Pulitzer Center (with Civitas recognition as co-sponsor and co-signer of the certificate), plus the cash prize, a one-year position of leadership, and will have their essays featured on the Pulitzer Center and Civitas websites.

Resources:

· For local information (St. Louis): Civitas Associates has compiled a list of local agencies familiar with issues of abuse and/or violence towards women. Please contact your teachers to learn more. In addition, Civitas staff will be available to help students contact agencies actively involved in addressing the issues of support for women and children in crisis.

· For international information: The “Women & Children in Crisis” portal (here) provides articles, audio and video that present an international lens on the topic. Students can also post questions for the journalists to learn more about the issues. The visits by the journalists in St. Louis, April 20-22, will provide exceptional opportunities for students to further enhance their knowledge.

Judging:

· For each school: One of the following will read and “judge” the submitted essays: (a) Sponsoring teacher at the school [if teacher is willing to take on this responsibility], (b) Civitas staff [if teacher would prefer not to judge or if there is no active faculty advisor in the school]

· For St. Louis area: [from winning essays at each school]: Pulitzer staff

Pulitzer Ambassadors (junior, sophomore, or freshman winner from each school):

1) Learn about future project’s web portal at the same time that teachers do. Use their knowledge to encourage and help other students access the site.

2) Be asked to spend time “up front” familiarizing themselves with content on the web site and passing along information to fellow students.

3) Help teachers with logistics such as:

a. Recruiting students or classes to participate in the program.

b. Joining teachers in approaching other teachers to allow students in their classes to participate.

c. If a school is hosting, a Pulitzer ambassador could help a teacher in lining up space for the presentation and maybe with A/V issues.

4) Pulitzer ambassador could write reports to be published on Pulitzer and Civitas web sites about their school’s participation in each project.

Pulitzer Fellow (area-wide winner [junior, sophomore, or freshman]):

1) Help provide resources for Pulitzer Ambassadors at each school.

2) Receive advance information on projects and help with preliminary research.

3) Work with Civitas in promoting Pulitzer programs to students at discussion groups, in newsletter, etc.

4) Help incorporate information about our local community into themes for future Global Gateway projects.

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