This year, there were more than 100 seventh grade and eighth grade submissions from students at Schaefer, Hayward and Roosevelt middle schools in Springfield.
The nine finalists were Hailey Delawder, Jasyla Lambey, Alexa Reeves and Alyssa Severs from Schaefer; Brainly Donatien and Jorge Morales Lopez from Hayward; and Tehya Holland, Annabelle Marstella and Jasmine Thompson from Roosevelt.
Lambey will represent the district in July at the Do the Write Thing National Recognition in Washington, D.C., alongside four peers from other participating districts.
“Writing is one of the most powerful ways to express your thoughts, emotions, and experiences,” said Springfield schools Superintendent Bob Hill. “By participating in this competition, you have exhibited just how strong and courageous you are.”
Students in Springfield’s three middle schools are eligible to participate by writing an essay, poem, song or other form of text. They are asked to “express how violence has affected them, what their solutions to end violence would be and how they can promote peace in their schools and communities.”
Business leaders and community members judged this year’s essays, which will be published in a booklet that will be distributed statewide.
The essays are scored in two rounds, and a student is then chosen to attend the National DtWT conference in Washington, D.C. over the summer. The writings of the top 10 finalists will also be placed in the Library of Congress.
Sponsored by the Ohio Attorney General, Springfield was the first district to participate in the state in 2020. The program has grown to include several other school districts in Ohio, including Canton, Cleveland, Lima, Youngstown and Zanesville schools.
“Writing about violence isn’t easy, but your essays were powerful, thoughtful and eye-opening,” Yost said in a video addressing the students. “You’re giving all of us a window into your world, and that helps us understand how we can work together to make things better.”
Do the Write Thing, which is organized by the National Campaign to Stop Youth Violence, was founded in 1994 and has reached millions of students nationwide.
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