Representing the Lincoln, Washington and Edison public middle schools as well as the Our Lady of Mount Carmel, St. Stanislaus, and St. Joseph parochial schools, the students were graded on their written essay and delivery by a panel of judges as part of the Deptula Essay Contest.
The annual contest, hosted by the Kiwanis Club, is in honor of Walter Deptula, the late Meriden resident who was involved in politics and community service.
Two winners, one for the essay and one for delivery, were selected from each of the pools: Washington, Lincoln, Edison, and the parochial schools.
The essay winner for Edison was David Lane, who wrote "Third Time's the Charm," about his experience at a week-long overnight camp he attended when he was 8.
Trying his hand at archery, he managed to strike the bullseye but the arrow fell out because the target was worn away from the numerous arrows that came before his. His teacher said the achievement didn't count.
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Edison's speaking winner was Brett Wojtkowski, who wrote about how photography has affected his life and how he perceives the world.
Lincoln's essay winner was Brandon Crespo for his essay, "Thank You." In it he thanked John Velez, his stepfather, who stepped into his life while repairing his mom's car and ended up winning over not only his mom, but him.
The speech winner for Lincoln was Sam Rondini for his essay, "My Savior In The Dark."
He spoke about the death of his grandmother and how he's come to realize she'll always be there for him.
"... the things she held so dearly speak for her," he said. "The flowers, the trees and the grass will always be there to comfort me even when others cannot. The grass hugs me, the flowers smile at me, and the trees support me. That's all a person could ask for."
Washington's essay winner was Jessica Degan, whose essay, "Anything Is Possible," was about her cousin's ability to overcome adversity, and how her life inspired her.
The speech winner was Zack Fontanez. In his essay, "Walk," he wrote about his long trek home from school one day after missing the bus, misplacing his cell phone, and then failing to figure out how to use the office phone. His failure to notify his mom of his predicament led her and his grandfather to be worried about him.
"It's strange to think all this could have been avoided if I had just asked how to use the phone," he said.
Allison Pomeroy of St. Joseph School, the essay winner for the parochial schools, wrote about her dog, Lou, who she said angered everyone but her with his mischief and dislike of strangers. She spoke of what she learned from the dog.
"... he proved to be that miraculous individual who could undertake the task of reassuring us and making our lives the best they can be."
The speech contest went to Abby Geremia of Our Lady of Mount Carmel School for her essay, "Another Open, Another Show," in which she spoke of trying out for a youth theater group and how much she enjoyed it.
Event judges included Maureen Bilger, president of the Meriden Kiwanis Club; Pierre Blanchet, the city engineer; Eric Cotton, assistant managing editor of the Record-Journal; Barbara Kendzior, chairwoman of the English Department at Platt High School; and Alta Nickodemski, a writer, poet and Kiwanis Club member.
The Kiwanis Club would give $75 to first place winners,
$50 to second place winners, $25 to third place winners, and $10 to all other contestants, said event host E. Jack Shorr.
"Everyone's a winner," he said. "You can't possibly walk out of here and not win."
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