2009 World Citizen Essay Contest

The question for the 2009 World Citizen Essay Contest was: "Imagine that you are Hillary Rodham Clinton, the new U.S. Secretary of State and head of the U.S. Department of State, which has a mission to create a more secure, democratic, and prosperous world for the benefit of the American people and the international community. Describe one international issue you think is important today. Why do you think this issue is important to both the U.S. and the world? Considering the mission of the U.S. Department of State, what would you do about this issue?"

Thank you to the 215 students who submitted essays and the 35 judges who spent time reading them all.

Essay Contest winners were honored at a special reception and award ceremony on May 27.

Our special congratulations to the following students, top finalists in each category.

	3rd - 5th Grade	6th - 8th Grade	9th - 12th Grade
FIRST	Jacob Clayton Bryant Elementary School Turn Down the Heat	Anna Kimura Odle Middle School Afghanistan:Give Diplomacy a Chance	Pavallan Mohan Inglemoor High School Returning Israel and Palestine Back on Track for Peace
SECOND	Nathan McDermott Stevenson Elementary School Nuclear Weapons in Iran	Sarah Williams Odle Middle School Clean Energy for a Better World	Rima Kaboul Inglemoor High School Freedom from Genocide in the Darfur Region
THIRD	Sam Nasralla Bryant Elementary School Putting Food in Your Car You Won't Get Far	Kristin Hirata Odle Middle School Making a Positive Impression on the World	Leifur Gunnarsson Roosevelt High School Poverty: A Universal Dilemma