As a student, Sam Heino is used to writing research papers for class. However, it’s not every day that one of her essays is entered into an international contest and wins an honorable mention. That’s exactly what happened to Heino as she entered herself in the 2014 Ocean Awareness Student Contest, organized by the national environmental nonprofit From the Bow’s Seat.
“I originally saw the contest last school year on a bulletin board poster outside of Mrs. McGann’s classroom. The poster for the contest was really eye-catching. At first, I thought about writing something just as a side project. I became interested in the topic of plastic pollution after I went on a trip to the Bahamas during last year’s J-Term. I’ve had a personal interest in this problem for a while,” Heino said.
Heino had McGann proofread the essay before she submitted it. After more than a year of waiting, she heard back from the contest officials, and received the news that she was named an honorable mention and won a $250 cash prize. The nonprofit contest awarded prizes for the top three winners as well as 10 honorable mentions.
McGann was very proud to hear that Sam’s essay was recognized by the contest.
“Sam took on this challenge on her own initiative, not because it was a requirement, but because it was an issue she feels strongly about. She was determined to submit a high quality essay,” McGann said.
Heino will be recognized for her essay at a future assembly. In the meantime, a copy of the award-winning essay will be available at homepage, www.mssm.org.
