GRANTS PASS – The City of Grants Pass Public Works Department has announced the winners of the city’s Imagine A Day Without Water essay contest. The contest asked local students in middle school and high school divisions to write an essay of 500-650 words discussing the importance of water by imagining a day without the precious resource.
Students were instructed to cite supporting sources for their positions and follow MLA format for the structure of their essay. A panel of judges conducted a blind assessment of the essays based on multiple criteria, including position statement (clarity relative to theme), supporting information (supports the position), organization (structure), tone (level of persuasiveness), writing with an authentic voice and unique point of view and style, grammar (sentence structure and use of words) and punctuation (correct punctuation and spelling).
Winners in the middle school division included Kiera Nelson (first place), Peter Moline (second place), and Lydia Nelson (third place). Winners in the high school division included Lillie Olson (first place), Abe Selvas (second place), and Ginger Bliss (third place).
First place winners received a $100 prize. Second place winners received $50, and third place winners received $25. The first-place essays from each division will appear in the November issue of the city’s newsletter, GP Now. All participants received a certificate acknowledging their entry.
Imagine a Day Without Water is a national education campaign that brings together diverse stakeholders to highlight how water is essential, invaluable, and in need of investment. This year, the day of action took place Oct. 21, and included events, resolutions, student contests, social media engagement, and more, all across the country.
The city’s essay contest rules and criteria were in correlation with Common Core Standards for literacy, grades 6-12. Additional educational resources for teachers and students in grades K-12 are available at the city’s website: https://www.grantspassoregon.gov/1361/Educational-Resources.
###