By Alex LaCoste (May 24, 2003)

Thursday afternoon was an exciting one for many GMHS students who found out that they were the winners of the E.B. Henderson Contest, sponsored by the Tinner Hill Foundation, The Washington Post, and Diener & Associates, CPAs. Maya Cough-Schultz took home the grand prize of $1,000 along with Jill Maier who won $500 and Holly McAlpin who won $300.
 

Three students, Matt Foley, Emanne Desjardins, and Melissa Womble, were recognized as "Distinguished Writers" and will receive $50. Four other students, Jasmine Bailey, Betsy Elliott, Caitlin Acosta, and Kezia Hall earned "Special Merit" awards of $25. All the winners are in either Ms. Webster’s or Ms. Dean Pratt’s English classes.  The contest is focused on multicultural relations, and the winners are chosen based on who writes the best letter to the editor. The contestants must respond to a newspaper article or photograph that shows either a denial of civil rights to a minority or ethnic group or an acceptance of multicultural differences and how they have improved life in a community.

These three young writers earned the top three awards for  their entries in the annual E.B. Henderson Letter Writing  contest. Maya Cough-Schulze, right, won first place and  $1,000, while Jill Maier won $500 and Holly McAlpin won  $300. (Photo by Alex LaCoste)

The "Dear Editor" contest honors the work of Dr. Edwin Bancroft Henderson, who lived in Falls Church in the Tinner Hill area. During his lifetime over 3,000 of his letters to the editor were published in newspapers in the Washington Metropolitan area as well as across the nation. In 1915, Dr. Henderson founded the first rural branch of the NAACP in the U.S. and over the next 50 years became a leading civil rights leader.

The Tinner Hill Festival will be held on Saturday, June 6, 2003. Award recipients will attend the ceremony to receive their cash prizes.