21 May 2010
Anne Frank Elementary Students Take Top Honors
DALLAS—Three students from Dallas ISD's Anne Frank Elementary School will be recognized for their winning essays entered in the Celebrate America Creative Writing Contest titled Why I Am Glad America is a Nation of Immigrants.
Students Jennifer Tomic, first place; Christian Patterson, second place; and Jennifer Morales, third place, will be honored during a Naturalization Ceremony for children Wednesday, May 26, at 9 a.m., at the USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) office located at 6500 East Campus Circle Drive in Irving.
The winning essays were selected from more than 25 entries submitted by 5th-grade students from the Dallas area. As the first-place winner, Tomic will receive $500 and advance to the state competition for a chance to compete on the national level. The national winner will be flown to Washington, D.C. to read the winning essay at the American Immigration Council's benefit dinner.
Patterson will receive $300 for placing second and Morales will receive $200 for her third-place entry. The students' teacher, Brian Edley, will also be honored with a $100 award for teaching excellence.
The contest is sponsored by the American Immigration Council, the Texas AILA Chapter, Ramirez & Associates, P.C., and Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP.
"Dallas ISD has improved more than any other urban district in Texas and more than all but one urban district in the country in narrowing the achievement gap."