High School Essay Contest Winners to be Honored at UA

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Winners of the second annual “To Kill a Mockingbird” Essay Contest will be honored Friday, Jan. 31, at The University of Alabama.

High school students from throughout the state — all winners of the essay competition in their individual schools — will visit UA Friday for a tour and luncheon at the President’s Mansion, followed by an awards ceremony.

The contest was created in honor of “To Kill a Mockingbird” author Harper Lee’s induction into the Alabama Academy of Honor in 2001 and is sponsored by the UA Honors Program with the support of the Alabama State Department of Education.

High school students from throughout the state were invited to submit 300- to 500-word essays on Lee’s much-loved book. Essays were to reflect the writer’s perception on how life has changed in the South from the time period depicted in the book to the present.

The grand prizewinner, Haller Smith of Monroeville Academy, will be awarded a $500 prize at the awards ceremony and a $500 donation will be made to her school. The second place winner is Valerie Gribben of LAMP Magnet School in Montgomery. She will receive a $200 prize. All statewide winners will receive a $100 prize.

Contest winners will tour the UA President’s Mansion and have lunch with UA interim President Barry Mason before the awards ceremony at 12:45 p.m. at the mansion. A reception will follow the awards ceremony at the W. S. Hoole Special Collections Library in Mary Harmon Bryant Hall on the UA campus.

Excerpts from the essays demonstrate that “To Kill a Mockingbird” continues to resonate with today’s teenagers. Smith, the grand prizewinner, wrote “Scout’s world was a small one; it was confined to the tiny town of Maycomb, Alabama.

“ … My world is a very different place. I live in a small town where I feel safe, but every day on television I see more of the horrible things that people do to each other … People cram everything they can into a day and always need more time. My world is a wonderful but sometimes frightening place.”

Second place winner Gribben wrote, “It is a sad trade-off, because most of my generation will never experience that bygone feeling of complete childhood liberty under the protective eye of their community.”

Other essayists’ comments included “Over the years, I came to realize that our war with prejudice is never over, though we have won many battles” and “The diversity now innate throughout the South truly impresses me. In the past month I have visited a Muslim mosque and have attended a Hindu wedding … Nevertheless, the South is not perfect. Bigotry still clouds our politics, and segregation is not entirely behind us.”

Editor’s Note: Media are invited to attend the awards ceremony at 12:45 p.m., Friday, Jan. 31, at the President’s Mansion and a reception following at the Hoole Special Collections Library, both on The University of Alabama campus.