The second annual Old Croton Aqueduct Essay Competition has concluded with thirty-nine entries from students across six Yonkers high schools. The competition’s three winners, along with an additional recognized student, were announced last week.
The Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park spans 26 miles through Westchester County and into the Bronx. It runs through twelve distinct towns where visitors can enjoy each town’s unique charm. In particular, seven miles travel through Yonkers. Views here offer such diversity like late Victorian homes and the Palisade Cliffs. It even provides easy access to downtown Yonkers and its scenic Saw Mill River Park.
The judging panel of this year’s student essay competition included seven local judges. They ranged from a published author to a radio show host, a poet, and members of the Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct, who hosted the competition. The non-profit exists as a coalition of volunteers to promote the protection and preservation of the Old Croton Aqueduct.
Judges enjoyed reading creative stories that dove into the aqueduct’s past, with elements of history and imagination. Several entries reflected the history of the Irish immigrants helped construct of the aqueduct and remained in the area for the rest of their lives. Students also included fun twists such as lost diaries and paranormal encounters.
The Winners
The four students who have been individually recognized Shennaiya Rose as first prize, Taylor-Rae Smith as second prize, Francheska Cortes as third prize, and Chiwendu Matthew. Shennaiya’s piece “Mr. J and the Croton Aqueduct” earned both her and her high school a prize of $500. Taylor-Rae has earned a prize of $300 for both herself and her high school with “Camp Aqueduct”. Both students attend Lincoln High School and are taught by Ms. Sunitha Howard. Ms. Howard says that the money awarded to the school will be a great help in funding its out-of-state science class field trips.
Francheska Cortes of Sacred Heart High School’s “Clarity by the Wind” has won third prize for both herself and her school. The additionally recognized student Chiwendu Matthew’s “The Year 1832” has earned her and Riverside High School $50. Both Cortes and Matthew are the second students in their classes to have won recognition for their entries in the contest over its two consecutive years, according to their teachers Mr. Kenney and Ms. Gold-Balin.
In addition to the prize money, the four students have also earned their classes a free trip to the Croton Dam or the Ossining Weir. There, they will be able to explore the aqueduct in person and learn more about its role in Westchester County.
Students’s entries are to be published soon and will be accessible on the Friends of the Old Aqueduct website www.aqueduct.org.
