Elementary and secondary students win Andrew Stern Essay Contest last month

During the Jan. 16 meeting, the East Rockaway Board of Education recognized the winners of this year’s Andrew J. Stern Memorial Essay Contest.

This annual contest honors East Rockaway Class of 1978 alumni Andrew Stern who was killed during the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. It was created by members of the Stern family who attended the meeting and presented the awards.

The contest winners were East Rockaway Jr./Sr. High School tenth grader Ethan Alvarez, eighth grader Yeira Malaga, and Rhame Avenue Elementary School fifth grader Violet Roth.

Each year, students are asked to submit an essay based on a specific topic or reflection relating to 9/11. This year, the question was, “How can acts of kindness help us remember and honor the heroes of 9/11?” Scholarships are awarded in three categories: high school, junior high school, and elementary school.

Following an induction by the Stern family, each student read their essay and was presented with a certificate and check.