Green Dot Student Writing and Art Competition Awards Scholarship to Winners!
By Leona Matthews,
Director of Literacy and English Language Development (ELD) Programs
Thanks to the partnership between the Green Dot Literacy Team, the Development Team and the Green Dot Ambassadors, the first and second place winners of our first Ánimo Voices Writing and Art Competition were awarded scholarships!
Our Green Dot Literacy program aims to empower all students with the critical reading, writing, and communication skills they need to positively shape their own lives and impact the broader world. Our first Ánimo Voices Writing and Art Competition invited students to produce written and art pieces depicting innovators, upstanders, visionaries, or rebels that have made a difference in their local or broader communities. The competition was an opportunity to motivate, recognize, and celebrate our strong student voices and writing skills with exciting prizes, publication, and scholarships.
Every school in our network was invited to select their top student entries for the first round of prizes. An Ánimo Voices panel of judges, which included volunteer literacy specialists, published writers, a Green Dot teacher, and a Green Dot administrator convened before winter break to read the top school entries and select the winners for the first, second, and third place network prizes.
We’re very proud of all the students who submitted entries to this year’s inaugural competition. Their entries reflect the rich diversity of experiences and influences that have inspired them as they explore ways to leave their own mark on the world. We also celebrate their teachers who encouraged their students to develop their unique voices, write authentically for an audience and purpose, and support the refinement of their work along the way.
Without further ado, here are this year’s winners:
Writing
HIGH SCHOOL
- First place: “An Instructor To Bad Influences” by Daniel Guerrero, Ánimo Watts College Prep Academy, who will be attending Albion College in the fall
- Second place: “Untitled“ by Noel Chavez Campos, Ánimo Inglewood Charter High School, who is hoping to attend Washington University in the fall
- Third place: “Never Stop“ by Adrian Santana, Ánimo Jackie Robinson Charter High School
MIDDLE SCHOOL
- First place: The Gangsta Gardener” by Nyla Skinner, Ánimo Phillis Wheatley Charter Middle School
- Second place: “The Man Who Dreams Big“ by Manuel Argueta, Ánimo Jefferson Charter Middle School
- Third place: “Carlos Segovia“ by Isabel Jamileh Menendez, Ánimo Western Charter Middle School
Art
HIGH SCHOOL
- First place: “La Madre Fuerte” by Kevin Aleman, Ánimo Jackie Robinson Charter High School
- Second place:“Showing Your True Colors“ by Jose Ramirez, Ánimo Ralph Bunche Charter High School.
- Third place: “Through the Cracks We Bloom“ by Jocelyn Orozco, Ánimo Watts College Preparatory Academy
