Charleston High School junior Germirrah Cannon is the 2nd Congressional District's first-place winner in the 2020 Mississippi School Boards Association (MSBA) Student Essay/Speaking Contest.
The East Tallahatchie School District student was one of four first-place and six honorable mention contest winners recently announced.
The contest, which was open to Mississippi students in grades 11 and 12, offered a $1,000 cash prize for the best student essay from each of the state's four congressional districts.
According to the MBSA website, the four first-place winners are required to attend one of two MSBA conferences and present their essay as a speech to a live audience of approximately 400 school board members and administrators.
Winners also will be recognized on the MSBA website (http://www.msbaonline.org/) and in an upcoming issue of the MSBA quarterly publication, "Update," it was noted.
Only one student from each MSBA member high school was allowed to submit a contest application, with each school being permitted to select their one applicant by any means desired. All public school districts in Mississippi are MSBA members.
The first-year contest required all applicants to submit an application form and a 600- to 750-word personal essay on the topic of "Can and Should Freedom of Expression and Civility Co-exist?"
According to MSBA guidelines, each essay was to answer the bottom-line question, "Is practicing civility (reasoned public discourse where respect, restraint, responsibility, and empathy coexist with free expression) still as important as self-governance, freedom of expression, and individual dignity or does civility hamper free expression?"
In addition to the essay, each applicant had to submit a video of themselves giving their essay as a speech and upload it to YouTube, with a link submitted to MSBA along with the application. Each video presentation had to last between four to five minutes. While presenters could utilize 3x5 note cards as references during their speech, the presentation could not be read in its entirety from a manuscript or notes.
The winner in each congressional district was selected by a panel of judges chosen by the MSBA using the criteria of quality of the written essay both in form and content, and student delivery qualities as demonstrated in the video. MSBA added that "accuracy of facts; demonstrated mastery of the topic; effective communication of concepts, thoughts and ideas; proper use of voice and articulation; and originality all are important."
IN THE PHOTO: Germirrah Cannon is pictured outside Charleston High School in this photo submitted to The Sun-Sentinel on Feb. 25, 2020.
