Winners were announced last week for the 16th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Essay Contest sponsored by the King County Civil Rights Commission with the theme: "So long as I do not firmly and irrevocably possess the right to vote, I do not possess myself." Three Open Window School eighth graders came in 1st, 2nd and 3rd places. Congratulations to Colin Cameron (1st), Audrey Whitmer (2nd), and Emma Wineland (3rd)!

Essayists were presented awards at the January 15th King County Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Event at the Paramount which was attended by the entire 8th grade class and several staff members.

In addition, Open Window middle school students had the great fortune of having author and civil rights advocate Maria Gitin, who was the keynote speaker at the King County Event, spend the afternoon with middle school students on campus on January 14th. In addition to leading an assembly and sharing stories of her experiences registering voters in Wilcox County in 1965, she met with a small group of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders to answer questions, talk about current events and look to the future. 

Click here to read the essays on King County's website.

Click here to see our essay winners on stage at the event receiving their awards.

The Bellevue Reporter published a story about Ms. Gitin's middle school visit and our essay winners. Find it here on page 2 of the January 16th Green Edition.