1 May 2002
Essays will be displayed in State Capitol
DALLAS— Four Dallas Independent School District students have won the first "The Power of One" writing contest recognizing the impact an older person has had in their lives.
Ji M. Son of W.T. White High School, Lauren Williams of Benjamin Franklin Middle School and Yanira Gonzalez and Maria Perez of Oran M. Roberts Elementary School each will receive two tickets on Southwest Airlines and a certificate.
The contest was sponsored by the DISD, Southwest Airlines and the Texas Department on Aging to encourage children to recognize the contributions of adults 60 and older to the community and their families. Dallas was chosen for the pilot program of the contest, which will be held throughout the state in the future.
More than 100 students participated. Each high school and middle school submitted its four best essays. Each elementary submitted its top two entries. The winning essays were chosen by members of DISD's Reading/Language Arts Pre-K-12 Department.
Son, who is in eleventh grade, wrote a poem about his grandfather, Sa H. Son. His grandfather was a veteran of the Korean War who died before Son was born.
Williams, an eighth grader, wrote about her grandmother, Helen Young, 63, who taught her by example that women can succeed in anything they wish to do.
Gonzalez, who is in the sixth grade, wrote about her grandmother, Maria Reyes, 65, who taught her to love one another and to be brave.
Perez was chosen through a random drawing from the more than 100 students who participated in the contest.
The winning essays will be displayed in the Texas Capitol building in Austin and at a Joint Conference on Aging.