Grand Prize Winner
Jessica Schuck, 11, Apple River, IL

10 - 12 age category

• 1st place - Jessica Schuck, 11, Apple River, IL
• 2nd place - Samantha Vroomen, 11, Scotts Valley, CA
• 3rd place - Macy Hughart, 11, Nashville, TN

7 - 9 age category

• 1st place - Emily Marso, 8, Parker, CO
• 2nd place - Justine Garcia, 8, Santa Maria, CA
• 3rd place - Joshua William Cox, 7, Kannapolis, NC
• Honorable Mention - Sydney Paige-Camille Patterson, 9, Gary, IN

Rachel wrote a book to make people know the danger of DDT. It is called Silent Spring. It is about how Rachel would wake up in the morning and hear no birds singing. Thousands of people read it and stopped using DDT. Laws started being passed to save the environment. Since 1972 it is against the law to use DDT.

If it was not for Rachel Carson all the birds would have died. We should thank Rachel for helping the birds. And, remember that all life is in a chain and if the birds die out, we eventaully will too.

Jessica Schuck (Apple River, IL)

I admire Joan of Arc for many reasons. Here are a few of them. First of all, when Joan was thirteen years old, she bean having visions of saints. The saints were telling her that it was her destiny to hlp King Charles VI and VII. She was to help them fight many battles against the English. She did. I admire this deed because she listenend to her visions even though she wasn't sure of them.

Second, she made it possible for King Charles VII to be crowned king by defeating the occupying English army in the city of Rheims (the city were the dauphin was traditionally crowned king.) I admire this deed because she was very brave to fight against the army that had conquered many cities.

Third, when she was seventeen, she led the French army against the English and won. She also won many other battles that she fought. I admire this deed because even though she was wounded, she kept on fighting.

Last, when she was nineteen, she was captured by the Burgundians. The Burgundians handed her over to the English. The English gave her an unfair trial and sentenced her to death at the stake on May 30, 1431. Afterwards, the executioner said, 'I greatly fear that I am damned for I have burnt a holy woman." All in all, I stongly admire Joan of Arc.

Emily Marso, age 8 (Parker, CO)

A heroine I admire is Susan Brownwell Anthony. Ms. Anthony was born in 1820 and grew up in Adams, Massachusetts where she was raised as a Quaker. Ms. Anthony was a suffragist and an abolitionist.

I think Ms. Anthony is a heroine because of her courage. Ms. Anthony would always stand up and speak in public, even if it made people angry at her. People would get angry at her because of what she said; women had rights, just like her husband. At this time, men believed that women shouldn't have any rights, to vote or speak out in public.

Ms. Anthony worked with another woman known as Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Mrs. Stanton would stay at home and write speeches while Ms. Anthony would watch Mrs. Stanton's seven children. When a speech was done, Mrs. Anthony would read it in public a couple of days after it was written.

Ms. Anthony set many goals for herself and she achieved nearly all of them, but her greatest acheivenment was the Nineteenth Amendment adopted in 1920, fourteen years after her death. The Nineteenth Amendment allows any race or sex to vote as long as he or she is a citizen of the United States of America.

When I turn eighteen, I will be albe to vote, only because of Susan Brownwell Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and all the other people who worked with them.

Samanth Vroomen, age 11 (Scotts Valley, CA)

In those days, blacks were not treated like whites were. Blacks had pretty much everything the whites had, except everything the whites had was better. Well, Roas wanted to put a stop to that.

It all began on Decomeber 1, 1955. That was the day Rosa decided to change things. At the time, Rosa was 43 and a seamstress. She was sitting in the middle of the bus, just behind the whites only sign. Then the bus started to get filled up. Rosa had not noticed until a white person was standing over her.The bus driver asked Roas and the people in her row to stand up and move. The three people in her row obeyed, but Rosa stayed and simply said "No."

She was arrested under city policies. She was taken to jail. Rosa had her picture taken and was fingerprinted before mr. Dixon and Mrs. Durr biled her out of jail.

Then the black people decided to boycott the buses for a day. So they rode in carpools, cabs, or even mules, just about everything but buses.

This boycot lasted a year, when it was only supposed to last on the day of Rosa Parks' trial. In the end, our govenerment decided that segretation on buses is illegal. Now, Rosa has many honors, awards, and rights but one right stands out above them all - the right to be treated fairly and with repect. We can all enjoy this, thanks to Rosa Parks.

Justine Garcia, age 8 (Santa Maria, CA)

Every day Ruby would walk through a crowd of angry whites. The whites yelled at her, and some tried to hurt her. The white parents even took their children out of the school.

After a while, the white parents thought it was important to send their children back to school. In the end it turned out okay. Ruby's parents knew what she went through every day, but they still thought education was important. Ruby changed the lives for all African Americans everywhere.

I think Ruby Bridges was a very brvae little girl.

Macy Hughart, age 11 (Nashville, TN)

I admire Ameila Earhart because she was the first female to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. Amelia Earhart was the first person to attempt to fly around the earth at the equater. I admire Amelia Earhart for her bravery and determination.

When Amelia Earhart was young, she went to Columbia University. Later in the year, Amelia Earhart dropped out of school so she could work in California. She needed to make some money for flying lessons.

Ameilia Earhart earned her license in 1932. She was already flying with people across oceans before she got her license. Before she got her license, she flew with pilot Wilmer Stultz and flight mechanic Lou Gorden.

Amelia Earhart was last seen near Howland Island. Ships and planes from all over the area went on a search, but no sign of Amelia Earhart. Although they searched for many days. Amelia Earhart was never found.

Joshua William Cox, age 8 (Kannapolis, NC)

Sydney Paige-Camille Patterson age 9 (Gary, IN)

To see last year's contest winners on the topic "The Spirit of Mulan", click here.