Essay contest winners and judgesOn Saturday, October 10, the families and friends of six finalists in the 8th Annual Mary E. Finley Essay and Speech Contest filled the West End Branch for the Awards Program. Four winners were chosen by the panel of judges after all the finalists read their essays speeches on the topic “What the Library Means to Me.”
First place winner Shantel Haslon, an 18-year old senior at Hughes Center, won a laptop computer. Te’a Johnson, a 13-year old student at Walnut Hills High School; Asherah Bealer, a 15-year old student in the 9th grade at the School for Creative and Performing Arts; and 16-year old Brandon Warren were the second, third, and fourth place winners who each received cash prizes for their work.
- Read the winning essay by Shantel Haslon
- Read the winning essay by Te’a
- Read the winning essay by Asherah
- Read the winning essay by Brandon
About the Contest
The 8th Annual Mary E. Finley Essay and Speech Contest was open to students in grades 6 to 12 who attend school or live in the West End. This year’s sponsors included retired librarian Mr. George Ferguson; Mrs. Finley’s great-nephew and founder and CEO of Minority Recruit Mr. Steve Rousseau; and the Friends of the Public Library.
The contest originated as a way for Mr. Ferguson to honor the memory of the late Mary E. Finley, a librarian who had a profound influence on him when he was a youngster growing up in the West End. Mrs. Finley, one of the first African American librarians hired by the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County (she retired in 1972 after 44 years of service) was a staunch believer in the importance of libraries and reading.
