Freshmen Kelly Johnston and Sarah Tanke placed top two and won cash prizes in the Brevard Public School’s “Be There” essay contest. Their task involved writing about someone who had been there or helped them in a time of need.
The two received checks for $100 and $75 respectively at a recent school board meeting.
“I wasn’t expecting to win at all,” Tanke said, “especially to have both of us place.”
Johnston felt the same way, saying she simply completed an assignment in Adrienne Gent’s language arts class and never expected to win.
Gent applauded her students for their work.
“I try to incorporate the essays my students write for me into what could be submitted for competition,” Gent said. “Naturally, I always want them to win.”
Sarah Tanke also recently won the Nile Foundation’s essay award, which was about world hunger, and earned a trip to Turkey this summer.
By Jenna Forry
