For the second consecutive year, AmeriCorps volunteers at Summer Scholars sponsored an essay contest for fourth- and fifth-grade students at six elementary schools.

In early January, 759 students from Garden Palace Academy, Harrington, Barrett, Smith, Swansea, and Gilpin elementary schools were asked to create their own dream and a plan to accomplish it.

The contest consisted of a two-day seminar for the students at each of the schools. On the first day, students were involved in learning about the life and dream of Martin Luther King Jr. On the second day, students were given 30 minutes to articulate their own dreams and ideas by answering the question: “What is your dream for you and your community and what you can do to achieve that dream?”

The essays were judged on creativity, clarity, content and coherence. After reading each of the 759 essays, judges decided on a first, second and third place winner for each of the schools. A grand-prize winner was selected from the first place winners. This year’s grand-prize winner was Dylan Torres from Garden Palace Academy.

Dylan has the dream that his “community will be a helpful one, where people are kind, generous, and loving.”

To accomplish this, Dylan wrote in his essay, he can “play with a child who does not have a role model and be there for him, teach him right from wrong and show him how to grow up as a great person.”

Other winning essays covered topics ranging from cleaning up parks, solving hunger, ending prejudice, helping sick animals, and preventing graffiti.

“I have decided to clean the park three times a week. I will also plant flowers so kids could go back and play,” wrote Darek Hartley of Barrett Elementary School.

Other winners included Alejandro Ortiz from Smith Elementary School, Jazmin Alarcon from Swansea Elementary School, Dominic Torres from Garden Place Academy, Erika Diaz from Harrington Elementary School, and Catherina Mosman from Gilpin Elementary School.

Winners received awards and prizes including passes to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, books about Martin Luther King Jr., and Summer Scholar t-shirts. The six first place-winning essays were printed in The Denver Post on Jan. 20.

Some of the sponsors that helped to make the contest possible were Corkrean Family, Big Lots, Technology for All, the Denver Nuggets, Target, King Soopers, Safeway, Albertson’s, Providers Resource Clearinghouse, and Liks Ice Cream.

For more information, please contact Summer Scholars at 303-355-0290.