CITIZEN-TIMES.com

Students celebrate Black History Month with essay contest

By Kim Barto
STAFF WRITER

February 21, 2008 12:15 am

FLETCHER — For the past two years, Elizabeth Barbour has made the Black History Essay Contest part of her third-grade lesson plan at Fletcher Elementary. And each year, her class has produced two winning essays.

“I was quite blown away by that,” she said. “I have high hopes for this year.”

The contest, sponsored by Narnia Studios in Hendersonville, encourages third- and seventh-grade students to research an African-American historical figure, celebrity or local role model. A panel of three judges will pick the three best essays from each grade, and a ceremony for the winners will be held Feb. 29. Each winner will receive a gift bag and have a chance to read his or her essay to the group.

“It’s really very special for the kids,” Barbour said.

For Barbour, the contest ties in nicely with the curriculum and helps the students learn research and writing skills.

“The students really get into it,” Barbour said. “I think they learn an appreciation of the contributions of other people and how one person can make a difference.”

Now in its 11th year, the contest continues to grow, said Barbara Hughes, owner of Narnia Studios. More teachers are participating, and the quality of the essays has improved over the years.

“We’re seeing essays with more depth and content, really rich research and heartfelt writing,” she said. “We want to see that it’s not copied straight out of the encyclopedia, and that there’s an insight they gained from it at the end.”

Hughes still remembers one particularly touching essay from several years ago written by a third-grader at Bruce Drysdale Elementary about his mother, who had lupus.

“He absolutely adored his mother and wrote about how he was going to grow up to be a great man because of her,” Hughes said. “She passed away the year after.”

The contest has been a learning experience not only for the students, but also for Hughes, who reads every essay.

“Just when I think I’ve heard of everyone, I learn something new,” she said. “It’s great to get the kids’ perspective.”

Contact Barto at 232-5967 or kbarto@pisgahmountainnews.com.