Annapolis Friends Meeting hosted the 2023 Awards Ceremony for this year’s student winners of the Maryland Peace Action essay contest. The ceremony was held at 2:30 pm on Saturday (10.21.2023). Annapolis Friends is one of the supporting organizations along with Anne Arundel Peace Action, Maryland Peace Action Education Fund, and the Benjamin Peace Foundation. Our Meeting has supported this program for many, many years.
Mike Keller, Board President of the Maryland Peace Action Education Fund, was the master of ceremonies and provided some background about this event. After the pandemic began, there were a handful of essays sent to his attention and then the schools shut down. The request for essays did not resume until January 2023. There were 45 essays submitted, including about six from 2020.
The winners:
First prize: Grace Lowden of Columbia (Trinity School)
Second prize: Corinna Hilderbrand of Savage (Braddock Middle School)
Third prize: Skye Arrington Sutherland of Queenstown (Stevensville Middle School)
Fourth prize: Miracle Johnson of Easton (Easton Middle School)
Each of the winners received their cash prize and a certificate at or after the ceremony. The winners were asked to read their winning essays or a portion which is particularly meaningful to them
Corinna Hilderbrand sent a video of herself reading the portion of her essay that was most meaningful to her and the attendees at the ceremony were able to watch and listen to Corinna on the TV at the meetinghouse.
The first prize winner, Grace Lowden, was present with her mother and the teacher she had in 2020 who had encouraged the students to write their essays. Grace read her essay and answered questions. The fourteen people in attendance noticed and applauded Grace’s poise and confidence, along with her very well written essay. In the featured photo, Grace is flanked by Mike Keller and her teacher, Linda Blackett.
Thank you to Phil Caroom, clerk of Peace & Social Concerns, for representing Annapolis Friends Meeting and for organizing the ceremony at the meetinghouse, as well as ensuring that the video was played for those in attendance.
