GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (GRPS) – Four GRPS scholars were awarded prizes by the Rosa Parks Education Committee in the Rosa Parks Essay Contest.
Alea Fitzpatrick, a scholar at Union High School, was awarded the $500 first-place prize in the 11th and 12th grade division. Fitzpatrick’s essay was titled “My Motivation.” Kamora Price, a scholar at Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy, was awarded the $200 third-place prize for her essay titled, “A World with Equity.”
Rebecca Barnes, a scholar at CA Frost Environmental Science Middle High School, was awarded the $300 second-place prize in the 9th and 10th grade division. Her essay was titled “Walking the Paths of Justice.” Sage Saunders, a scholar at City High Middle School, was awarded the $200 third-place prize for her essay titled, “Day by Day.”
The Rosa Parks Sculpture Education Committee, in partnership with the City of Grand Rapids Community Relations Commission and the City of Grand Rapids Office of Equity and Engagement, sponsor the contest to remember and honor the courage that Mrs. Rosa Parks exhibited on December 1, 1955, by refusing to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama.
The Committee invited high school students in Grand Rapids to reflect on this year’s essay theme of “Riding with Mrs. Parks” and write an essay expressing how they would fight for justice alongside of Rosa Parks. A panel of the Rosa Parks Education Committee scored the essay submissions and selected the winners.
The Rosa Parks Education Committee includes representatives from the City of Grand Rapids, Community Relations Commission, Kent ISD, Mercantile Bank and Our Community’s Children.
