12 Students Win Treganza History Essay Awards

Winners of the 2012 Treganza History Essay Competition will be honored by Mayor Mary Sessom during the City Council meeting Tuesday at the Community Center.

The awards ceremony recognizes third graders from throughout the Lemon Grove School District whose outstanding entries in the contest have earned a first, second or third place prize, or honorable mention.

This year, 97 students entered essays in the 22nd annual competition named after Dr. Amorita Treganza, the groundbreaking pediatric optometrist. Treganza, the former president of the Lemon Grove Historical Society, founded the contest in 1990 to encourage children's interest in history.  

Historical Society president Helen Ofield said students prepared for this year’s contest with a combination of in-class presentations by the historical society, visits to the Parsonage Museum, and lots of classroom discussion.

“We are beyond grateful to the teachers, so skilled, who placed importance on the study of local history and sent us their students' efforts unvarnished, questing, struggling to make sense of people and events that occurred 100 to 500 years ago, and conveying their exploration in their own words,” she said.

A four-member jury panel chose 12 winners overall. There were ties in the first, second and third place slots, and six honorable mentions.

The winners are:

• Hanan Mohammed, Golden Avenue School, first place
• Corayma Ochoa, Golden Avenue School, first place

• Laisa Marquez, San Miguel School, second place
• Sara Mickaellan, Golden Avenue School, second place

• Sana Ahmed, San Miguel School, third place
• Asma Mohammed, San Miguel School, third place

• Christine Bach, Golden Avenue School, honorable mention
• Phillips Do, San Miguel School, honorable mention
• Sierra Gallardo, San Miguel School, honorable mention
• Bethany Johnson, Golden Avenue School, honorable mention
• Jared Salgado, San Miguel School, honorable mention
• Isabella Thomas, Mount Vernon School, honorable mention

The mayor and jury chair Josie Kane will preside over the awards ceremony, which beings at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Community Center.