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Maryland Municipal League Announces Eleven Fourth Grade Winners of Statewide 2014 'If I Were Mayor' Essay Contest

Maryland Students Will Receive Recognition on May 16 at State House

Eleven Maryland fourth graders were chosen as winners of the Maryland Municipal League’s (MML) 2014 “If I Were Mayor, I Would…” essay contest, which drew entries from thousands of participating Maryland fourth grade students from schools across the state.

The contest challenges fourth graders to transform what they know about municipal government into an essay that shares what they would do as mayor of their city or town. All of the winners will be recognized in a May 16 ceremony at the Maryland State House in Annapolis. Each winning student will receive a Governor’s Citation, an award plaque and a $100 cash prize. Immediately following the ceremony, the students – along with their families and teachers – will enjoy a boat ride out of Annapolis, on the Harbor Queen. 

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The 2014 winners are listed below, by district, school and municipality, with excerpts from each of their essays:

District 1 – Somerset, Worcester, Wicomico and Dorchester Counties

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Rebecca Collins, Faith Baptist School (Salisbury)

o   “…If I were Mayor, I would try to encourage local farmers to start a farmer’s market…I would explain to the town council that having a farmer’s market would bring more people to our town.”

District 2 – Caroline, Queen Anne’s, Kent and Talbot Counties

Cameron Lowery, Ridgeley Elementary School (Ridgeley)

o   “…One project I would try to do would be to build a community swimming pool. This project…would create jobs for people, bring money in for the town and it would be a place for kids to go to keep them out of trouble.”

District 3 – Baltimore City

Tayla Chambers, Dr. Nathan A. Pitts-Ashburton Elementary/Middle School (Baltimore)

o   “…I would have a clean the park day and get everyone involved…it is important because I wouldn't want kids to get sick from a dirty environment and I would want picnics to continue.”

District 4 – Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s Counties

Jackson Anderson, Broadneck Elementary School (Annapolis)

o   “…I would organize a golf fundraising event to donate food and money to a food bank in my community. A lot of kids don’t have enough food to eat or money to buy school lunches.”

District 5 – Howard and Montgomery Counties

Janely Sanchez, Gaithersburg Elementary School (Gaithersburg)

o   “…encourage the citizens to start community gardens so we can grow some food from right here at home. This would cut down on the fossil fuels needed to import some of the food which we could easily grow in our backyards.”

District 6 – Frederick County

Margaret Williams, Brunswick Elementary School (Brunswick)

o   “…I would make an event for Brunswick called dog days. The way I would get money is from some of the taxes, and I would go door to door asking for donations…”

District 7 – Allegany and Garrett Counties

Ava Pyles, Cresaptown Elementary School (Cumberland)

o   “…to improve roads streets and sidewalks…A good way to do this would be to form neighborhood groups to clean up.”

District 8 – Washington County

Zoe Schlotterbeck, Williamsport Elementary School (Williamsport)

o   “…If my citizens were interested in health and fitness…The town and its citizens could host a Fun Run to encourage health and fitness.”

District 9 – Prince George’s County

Dustin Navarrosa, Magnolia Elementary School (Lanham)

o   “…I would make this slogan as my guide: ‘Action, Solution and Initiative’ in making my city the best place it can be.”

District 10 – Cecil and Harford Counties

Kevin Ryan, St. Joan of Arc School (Aberdeen)

o   “…I would let the residents all know the benefits of opening a homeless shelter. The benefits would improve the community.”

District 11 – Baltimore and Carroll Counties

Kate Stultz, Mount Airy Elementary School (Mount Airy)

o   “…I would create an event to celebrate spring…This event is important to me because it helps the environment be healthier.”

MML’s “If I Were Mayor, I Would…” contest has, since 2001, challenged students to learn about civic duty by creatively developing a vision of what they would do as mayor. Each 275-word essay had to begin with: “If I were Mayor, I would…” and answer three open-ended questions based on the 2014 theme, “Engaging My Community.” The contest was open to Maryland students enrolled in fourth grade during the 2013-2014 school year. In addition to the celebration at the State House, the leaders of each municipality –often choose to honor local participants. Some municipalities have their winning student become mayor for a day, others have their own ceremonies to celebrate the student’s accomplishment.

“Every year, we are pleased to receive so many thoughtful essays from students that highlight their unique ideas about what it takes to be mayor, and this year was no exception,” said Scott A. Hancock, executive director of the Maryland Municipal League. “The contest’s theme on engagement ties nicely to our upcoming convention activities and the League’s overall mission to help municipal officials engage their residents in community issues. ”

The 2014 essay contest was sponsored by the Maryland Municipal League, in partnership with the Maryland Mayors’ Association, the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Company, and Local Government Insurance Trust. Essays were judge based on: Essay relation to contest topic; displayed knowledge about municipal government and the role of a mayor; creativity; and proper use of grammar. For more information, visit www.mdmunicipal.org/winners

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