The Anti-Defamation League of Arizona sponsors an Echoes and Reflections Moral Courage Essay contest, and this year four local students captured awards.
Kate Jensen, a freshman at Sunnyslope High School, took First Place in the 9th-10th grade division for her essay titled, “Courage Knows No Age.” Sunnyslope junior Breslin Sibley captured Second Place in the 11th-12th grade division for his essay, “The Avenues of Passive Resistance.”
In addition, Anjali Moore, an eighth grader from Madison Meadows, won Second Place in the 7-8th grade division for her essay titled, “Moral Courage,” and Becca Webb, and eighth grader from Madison No. 1, captured Third Place in the same division for her essay about “Women’s Rights Activist Fatima Ibrahim.”
In its eighth year, the contest, which is open to all Arizona seventh through twelfth graders, uses the lens of the Holocaust to analyze moral behavior and educate students about contemporary issues. Study of the Holocaust helps students develop an understanding of the ramifications of stereotyping, prejudice, racism, and anti-Semitism in any society.
Through learning about Rescuers during the Holocaust, The Moral Courage Essay Contest invites the writer to articulate the benefits of standing up against injustice.
The four students received certificates of recognition and cash prizes. For more information, or to read the winning essays, visit www.arizona.adl.org/news.