Two ISD Students Recognized During City’s King Celebration

William Chrisman High School senior Jaleea West won the John Olivarez Scholarship essay contest and Bingham Middle School eighth-grader Grace Bell won the middle school essay contest at the City of Independence Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration January 18.

West’s essay centered around the theme, ‘It Began With a Dream.’ For winning the contest, she received a $300 scholarship. West and Bell were honored guests during the program and read their essays aloud to the large King Day crowd inside the Truman Memorial Building.

“Grace (pictured below) is just such a wonderful student and writer,” said Anne Collins, an eighth-grade teacher at Bingham. “She did a beautiful job!”

The 2016 celebration marked the 29th year for the event, co-sponsored by the City of Independence, the Community of Concerned Citizens, the Local Investment Commission (LINC), the Human Relations Commission, the Ministerial Alliance and The Examiner newspaper. Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame member and current Jackson County Executive Frank White was the keynote speaker.