The six winning writers from Georgia are: Maria Macedo, Brooks County High School; Tanny Strickland, Ware Magnet School in Clinch County; Amanda Cruz-Mujica, Mount De Sales Academy in Bibb County; Jose Quevedo, Heritage High School in Rockdale County; Nereyda Pineda, Cedartown High School in Polk County; and Yadira Ortiz, West Hall High School in Hall County.
Students from across Georgia were invited to design a project to encourage Latino students in their community to stay in school. The winning ideas were selected by a statewide panel of educators, parents, and service providers.
Each winner and a parent will be invited to attend an overnight retreat and awards ceremony next weekend at the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education Conference Center & Hotel.
First-place essays included:
·plans for a parent-student retreat
·life-choices workshops comparing labor jobs with jobs that require an education
·an in-school Latino cultural center for a rural county
·a student group that would survey the opinions of dropouts and graduates on social and lifestyle issues
·inspirational talks and workshops focused on preparing for higher education
·a business-school collaboration on a restaurant that would serve as both a learning lab and a place of employment for students
Other proposals included a course to teach all students about the different U.S. Latino cultures, educational staff visits to homes in the Latino community, parent-only meetings for Latino parents to talk about their goals for their sons and daughters, a poster campaign depicting local Latinos in various professions, mentorships in Latino-owned businesses, and on-campus childcare facilities and campuses.
"Georgia's young people are determined to provide everyone in our state with opportunities to succeed," said Christine Burgoyne, coordinator of the contest. "If even a few of their proposals are implemented, these students will have made a difference."
The first runner-up in each region will attend the UGA weekend if the winner from their region is unable to participate. They are: Alejandra Perez, Thomas County Central High School; Jaron Altman, Bacon County High School; Josh Anderson, East Coweta High School in Coweta County; Julio Vaca, Heritage High School in Rockdale County; Elmer Uribe, Centennial High School in Fulton County; and Lizbeth Pajaro, West Hall High School in Hall County.
Interest in the contest was widespread, both geographically and culturally. "Not only Spanish and English speakers, but also students with first languages from Vietnamese to Gujrati and Chinese to Romanian submitted proposals," Burgoyne said. "The desire to help others doesn't have linguistic boundaries."
http://accesswdun.com/article/2006/9/103547