Student essay winners announced

0
From left, Thomas Sharkey, EVP/COO; Miles Wolff, Ashley Brasefield, Cassandra Silva, and Quintan Cabral, Principal John Stevens, and sixth Grade Teacher Erin Simmons. – Courtesy MV Savings Bank

Martha’s Vineyard Savings Bank hosted an awards ceremony last week for student winners of the bank’s Financial Education Student Essay Contest, honoring National Teach Kids to Save Day. According to a press release, bank president and CEO James Anthony presented the prizes at the Edgartown main office branch. Contest judges were former MVRHS principal Margaret Regan, ninth grade English literature teacher Kate Hennigan, and bank trustee Ann Tyra.

Here’s the prompt the students wrote to: Imagine that Massachusetts is considering such a law to make sure every citizen has adequate money. Your class has been assigned to write an essay for the state legislature. Your essay will be sent to lawmakers who will then decide whether to draft the new law and put it to a vote. What would you tell them about how money could be used to make sure every family has basic needs met?

First-place winner Miles Wolff described his winning entry in the press release: “I concentrated on writing a bill for the state legislature that would provide the most basic services to raise and nurture a family in these challenging times.”

Other student winners were Ashley Brasefield with her essay about providing good job opportunities; Cassandra Silva with her essay on meeting basic needs, and Quintan Cabral’s essay on contributing to the Island Food Pantry.