Every year, Essex County Clerk Christopher Durkin invites fourth graders to make posters about what they think makes Essex County special. This year, five of the top 15 winners came from one place: F.N. Brown Elementary School, and one of them, Kate O’Farrell, won first place out of 528 entries county-wide. She was honored in a brief ceremony in front of the school this morning.
F.N. Brown has been participating in the contest for 10 years under the direction of Louis Waibel, a fourth grade who has integrated the contest into his Social Studies curriculum. This year, F.N. Brown had the largest number of top 15 winners in its history, and another nine students placed in the Honorable Mention category. The winning posters will be featured as individual images in a county calendar and the Honorable Mention finalists will have their artwork featured collectively on one page on the closing inlay of the calendar.
“There have been years that we have had a few winners and other years we have not had any winners,” Dr. Anthony Lanzo, the principal of F.N. Brown, said in an email. “However in the end, each student benefited from the in-depth study of our county and its features.”
Top 15 Winners from F.N. Brown:
Kate O’Farrell
Daniel Casiano
Maisie Skibola
Rucen Wei
Isabella Sandoval
Honorable Mention Winners from F.N. Brown:
Yishan Zhou
Vianna Arrington-Phillips
Andrew Testa
Isabella Zarfino
Michael Guglielmi
Tyler Boston
Ryley Capra
Charles Crinion
Giovanna Marino
