Congratulations to sophomore James Chapman and junior Sam Forrest on winning first and third place, respectively, in the Lessons from Anne Essay Competition: Courage, Compassion and Hope in Refuge for Jesuits Schools Network (JSN) students in grades 9-12. The Jesuit Refugee Service/USA (JRS/USA) announced their awards on Thursday, April 12.
The essay competition was sponsored by the JRS/USA in concert with America Media (publisher of the magazine America: the Jesuit Review of Faith and Culture), the JSN and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
In September of 2017, the Embassy bestowed the Anne Frank Award on the JRS/USA for their work in providing education access to refugees and others displaced from conflicts in a number of locations around the world. That award helped inspire the competition, which began taking submissions in January of this year that were limited to 1,500 words and answered the following question:
“What can Anne Frank’s life and legacy teach us about how to address the current refugee crisis – more than 65 million people displaced today globally, the highest levels since World War II?”
Essays were judged by representatives from the JRS/USA, America Media, the JSN and the Embassy, and they were unanimous in their decision to award first place to James, an award that comes with a $1,000 monetary prize and the publication of his essay in America magazine on Thursday, April 12. Sam’s third place award comes with a $250 monetary prize. Click HERE to see James' essay and HERE to see Sam's essay.
“We’re incredibly proud of James and Sam, and the excellence of their essay work,” said Creighton Prep President Fr. Tom Neitzke, SJ. “A key part of forming Men for Others at Prep is teaching our students to seek justice for the underserved, and the recognition here is a reflection not only on James and Sam but also on their English teachers Mrs. Barb Hake and Mrs. Mary Kassmeier as well as their families and friends who supported them in the endeavor.”
