Grades 6 & 7 Essay Writing Contest

By Mr. Jamie Caton, Grade 6 Teacher

Students in grades 6 and 7 recently participated in an engaging essay contest inspired by the Jane Schaffer structured writing method. The contest encouraged students to develop clear arguments on a topic of their choice, use strong evidence, and organize their ideas effectively. Students also demonstrated compassion and social responsibility through their choice of topics. The quality of submissions was excellent, making it challenging for judges to decide on winners.

In grade 6, first place was awarded to Ethan Lin for his essay “Why is antimicrobial resistance a global problem?”. Runner-up awards were given to Nathan Johnson for his essay on Katalin Karikó, Noah Park for his essay on space junk, and Roman Sall, who received a special mention for his essay on “tanking” in professional sports.

In grade 7, first place was awarded to Martina Liu for her essay on the ethical implications of AI autonomous decision-making in warfare. Runner-up awards were given to Theodore Coburn for his analysis of FIFA corruption and Candan Lu for his essay on the climate crisis.

Students generously donated their prize money to charitable organizations supporting important causes, including the BC Cancer Foundation, BC-SPCA, BC Children’s Hospital Foundation (including the Small is Mighty campaign), and the Terry Fox Foundation.