In December, ELanCo participated in Penn State University’s 29th Annual Essay Contest, a statewide writing contest for high school juniors. The two top placement winners from Garden Spot were Katie Mueller and Sirena Rowland, and their essays have been entered in the state competition at University Park to compete against other local winners from around Pennsylvania. In February, Penn State’s Department of English will announce twenty state finalists, and in the spring, the top three essayists will receive special commendations and honoraria for their distinguished work.
In adherence to Penn State’s guidelines for participating schools, Garden Spot’s local writing competition spanned sixty minutes, during which time the contestants read a recent Wall Street Journal article and composed an essay response to the piece. The article, “Flash Mob Violence and the Constitution,” discussed constitutional, legal, and policy issues sparked by the use of social media to organize mobs and impromptu public gatherings in U.S. cities and in cities around the world. Students’ essays were evaluated by a group of G.S. English teachers, and the two winning essays were sent to University Park to represent Garden Spot in the state competition.
Congratulations to all juniors who participated in the contest, and we wish Katie and Sirena the best of luck in the next round!