Fifth-Grader’s Essay on King Wins Prize
Reuel Banner, a fifth-grade student at Diamond Elementary School, has won first place in a local essay contest. His prize is a $1,800 U.S. savings bond.
In his essay, Reuel wrote about the effect that the work of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. has had on his life.
“I am a young African American boy, and if Dr. King hadn’t made his speeches and taken a stand for what he believed in, I know that I would not have the friends I have today,” Reuel wrote.
“I also know that I would not be going to the school I now attend . . . and I wouldn’t be even thinking about going to college,” he wrote.
The second-place winner, Omar Alvarado, also attends Diamond school. Alvarado is the brother of last year’s winner of the contest, which is sponsored annually by the nonprofit Southwest Community Center.
The contest was open to all fifth-graders in Santa Ana. Wilson Elementary student Jennifer Ramos won third place, and Jefferson Elementary student Eric Rodriguez won an honorable mention.
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