Jan. 20: Celebrate MLK Day, Student Contest Winners

The West Chester Liberty community is invited to attend the 26th annual "Live the Dream: Our Declaration of Unity" community-wide celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, Jan. 20. The program will recognize this year’s student contest winners and follows the one-mile community march, which extends from West Chester Township to Liberty Township.

This year’s "You Choose" contest theme challenged students to choose one of Dr. King's lesser known speeches, sermons or readings - anything other than his most famous Mountain Top (I have a dream..") speech. Students were asked to reflect on all or part of the piece and how it personally impacts them. 

All winning essays, skits, songs, artwork or videos will be recognized during the program, also complete with a keynote address and live music from a community choir. A video series produced by West Chester Township’s multimedia team and to be released in the weeks following MLK Day shares each winning entry. 

Congratulations to this year's student winners, selected from the nearly 600 entries: 

Essays

Grand Prize Winner

• Quentin Smith - “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence” - Hopewell Junior (8th grade)

Elementary School

• Calvin Soules-Peters - “The Other America” - Independence Elementary (6th grade)
• Special Merit: Cedric Utrata - “Silence is Betrayal” - Independence Elementary (6th grade)
• ESL: Arturo Pelaez Tellez - “MLK Essay” - Independence Elementary (3rd grade)

Junior School

• Anarah Carlotta - “What’s Your Life’s Blueprint?” - Hopewell Junior (8th grade)
• Special Merit: Addyson Allen - “Free at Last” - Hopewell Junior (7th  grade)
• ESL: Alex Parajuli - “What is your Life’s Blueprint?” - Hopewell Junior (8th grade)

High School

• Alexis Riggins - “Love Your Enemies” - Lakota East Freshman
• Special Merit: Addison Michel - “Martin Luther King Jr: Nobel Peace Prize Speech Analysis - Lakota East Freshman
• ESL: Nathan Lee - “Be the Current, Not the Flotsam” - Lakota East Freshman

Fine Arts

Grand Prize Winner

• Kristian Mudd - “Life’s Blueprint” - Cherokee Elementary (4th grade)

Elementary School

• Marshawn Reece - “Your Life is a Blueprint” - Cherokee Elementary (3rd grade)
• Special Merit: Brayden Reece - “Mountaintop” - Cherokee Elementary (3rd grade)

Junior School

• Pepper Hatwal  - “The Endeavor’s End of the Beginning” - Plains Junior (7th grade)
• ESL: Sitra Wakili  - “Be the Best of Whatever You Are” - Plains Junior (7th grade)
• Special Merit: Norah Fitzpatrick - “MLK Artwork” - Ridge Junior (7th grade)

High School

• Lucy MacKnight  - “The American Dream” - Lakota East Freshman

• ESL: Helen Henriquez - “An Eye for an Eye” - Lakota Central High School (12th grade)

• Special Merit: Addison Maxwell - “Be the Trail” - Lakota Central High School (10th grade)

Like recent years, the “March for Unity” will follow a symbolic route that connects West Chester and Liberty townships. The entire community is invited to gather at the southwest corner of the Floor & Decor parking lot (7250 Cabela Drive, West Chester) at the intersection of Tylers Place Boulevard and Cabela Drive at 9:30 a.m. Participants will proceed to Liberty Center’s Sabin Hall, where the community program will begin at approximately 10:00 a.m.

As an extension of the program, a special food and personal care drive throughout January and February will benefit the Reach Out Lakota food pantry. Specific drop-off locations include EDGE Teen Center, the West Chester and Liberty Township offices, MidPointe Library West Chester and Liberty branches, or directly to Reach Out Lakota.

The video series, featuring all student winners, will be released via social media throughout January. It will also air via West Chester's Spectrum public access channels 4 and 15 and can be accessed on the West Chester Township YouTube channel or the West Chester Township Vimeo channel.