By Catholic Review Staff
Eight students from Catholic schools in the Baltimore archdiocese were among the 20 winners in the 28th annual “Champions of Courage” essay competition.
More than 3,000 entries were received from students in grades 6 through 12 in a competition sponsored by M&T Bank. The students wrote essays saluting their personal “champion of courage,” a positive role model who has touched their lives by sharing the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The 20 winners will read their essays over the television airwaves on Fox 45, the CW Baltimore and My TV Baltimore throughout January and February. Each will be honored and presented with a $100 prize Jan. 31. At an awards breakfast, the top three essayists will be announced and will receive more than $3,000 in scholarships and cash prizes for their schools.
Two students from St. Augustine School in Elkridge were among the finalists. Eighth-grader Katrina Manabat submitted her essay on Maya Angelou, writing that Angelou’s “words of empowerment” affected her way of perceiving problems in the world. Seventh-grader Lauren Greenhill wrote about Eleanor Roosevelt because “when others were silent, she spoke out for unity and justice.”
Katrina Manabat
Lauren Greenhill
Michael Sweeney a sixth-grader at School of the Incarnation in Gambrills, described former New York Yankee Derek Jeter as his role model of perseverance, finding inspiration in Jeter’s assertion that there may be people who have more talent, “but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.”
The honorees from Catholic schools are:
Ahmed Jeremiah Pearl – Calvert Hall High School, Towson
Raecine Singletary – Mercy High School, Baltimore
Lauren Greenhill and Katrina Manabat, St Augustine School, Elkridge
Luke Ewachiw – St Casimir School, Baltimore
Zachary Born – St Jane Frances School, Pasadena
Charles Martin – St. John School, Westminster
Michael Sweeney – School of the Incarnation, Gambrills
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