VWHS junior wins MLK writing contest

Submitted information

Cloey Spry, a junior at Van Wert High School, has been named the 11th grade winner of the 2017 Martin Luther King Jr. Writing Contest, sponsored by the Ohio Civil Rights Commission.

Nearly 900 students in grades 6-12 from across Ohio entered this year’s contest, and only one winner was selected from each grade level.

The awards ceremony to honor the winning entrants will be held Thursday, March 2, at the Vern Riffe State Office Tower in Columbus. Spry and other winning entrants will read their winning essays during the ceremony and receive an award, followed by a reception in their honor.

Each participant in the contest was to write an essay that creatively responded to the following question: “Think about times in your life when you have witnessed hatred and intolerance. What things have you done to drive out hate?”

Winners were selected based on originality, writing quality, relevance to the theme, and effective and creative expression.