2023 SMBA Poster and Essay Contest Award Recipients

Twenty area students were honored by the Springfield Metropolitan Bar in a ceremony held at the Library Center on November 3, 2023.  With more than seventy family members and supporters present, ten elementary school students were recognized for their creative posters and ten middle school students were recognized for outstanding essays.

The theme for this year’s competition was “Cornerstones of Democracy:  Civics, Civility and Collaboration.”   

Six students from three schools received honorable mentions.  Those students are Logan Langston from Mt. Vernon Elementary, Marie St. Romain from Immaculate Conception, and Brielle Howard, Blair Hurst, Myla Rojas and Gabe Horn from Wanda Gray Elementary.

Nick Nelson, Director of the Springfield Art Museum selected the winning posters. The winning posters along with Nelson's comments are on the @springfieldmetrobar Instagram page at this link.  Congratulations to the top poster artists, all from Wanda Gray Elementary:

First Place - Elise Kolde, 4th grade

Second Place – Claire Halley, 4th grade

Third Place – Daniel Simpson, 2nd grade

Fourth Place – Primrose Martinez, 4th grade

This year’s essay contest drew 144 entries which were anonymously reviewed by 11 lawyers and judges from the Springfield bar, narrowing the field to the ten best.  Seven students, all from Immaculate Conception, received honorable mentions.  They are Dhilan Miller, Angelica Rainbolt, Marin Abbey, Lillian Weiss, Mia Ponce, Jack Brodersen, Carson Bruton. 

The winning essays were selected and ranked by Nancy Allen, New York Times Bestselling author and local attorney and professor.    

First place went to Yukon Kreher a 7th grader at Immaculate Conception.  Nancy had this to say about his essay:  “The author of this essay painted pictures with words, following an established rule that writers should ‘show, not tell’. An understanding of the essay topic was demonstrated by the use of concrete examples to illustrate an abstract concept. From the grumpy portraits of the Founding Fathers to the essential stone placed at the corner of a building, the author kept this reader’s attention throughout the page.”

Samantha Tong, an 8th grader at The Summit Preparatory School took second place.  Samantha was also one of our 2022 essay award winners.  Nancy said this about her essay:

“In this articulate and well-written discussion, the author demonstrated a good understanding of the topic. The writer made an excellent point when describing the way in which “civility and collaboration complement and reinforce each other”. The essay correctly affirms that it is easier for people of differing opinions and positions to work together when they treat one another with respect.”

The third-place award went to Slone Hampel, a seventh grader at Immaculate Conception.  Nancy said this about her essay:  “This skillfully written essay contains a strong discussion of the importance of civility in society. The author recognizes that all people “deserve to be treated with dignity and respect” and that individuals should feel free to express their opinions.”

The posters and winning essays will be on display in the concourse at the Library Center, 4653 S. Campbell, through the month of November, 2023.

Link to Facebook Photo Gallery