8th Grader Wins Writing Contest

Sant Bani School eighth grader Jessica Stanton from Concord, NH has won the prestigious One Pen Can Change the World writing contest sponsored by the National Writing Project of New Hampshire in partnership with the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire (ACLU-NH).

The contest invited students to write about civil rights, social justice, and freedom of speech. Jessica wrote about the necessity and responsibility of freedom of speech including a quote from Buddha, “When words are true and kind, they can change the world.”

The statewide contest includes middle school, high school and college categories. Jessica’s essay was selected out of all the middle school entries in the state. Meg Peterson, Plymouth University Professor and Director of the National Writing Project in New Hampshire, stated, “After reading Jess’s essay, I am truly looking forward to meeting her.”

Jessica will receive a $250 award and will be attending the ACLU-NH Bill of Rights Awards Ceremony in June where she and the other winners will be invited to read their essays.