2015 PSBA Essay Contest

About PSBA

The Pennsylvania School Boards Association is a nonprofit, membership-driven association that promotes excellence in public education through leadership, advocacy, and services for local school boards. Founded in 1895, PSBA has been serving public school leaders across Pennsylvania for over a century, offering resources, training, and opportunities to enhance the quality of education in the Commonwealth.

Purpose of the Contest

The 2015 PSBA Essay Contest aimed to foster constructive discourse on key educational issues while highlighting the importance of student voices in shaping educational policy and practice. By inviting students to address relevant topics, PSBA sought to:

• Cultivate critical thinking and writing skills among Pennsylvania students
• Encourage engagement with contemporary educational challenges
• Elevate student perspectives on matters affecting their education
• Recognize and celebrate academic excellence across the state

2015 Contest Theme

This timely theme invited participants to reflect on how public education might evolve to better serve students in the 21st century. It encouraged creative thinking about curriculum design, teaching methodologies, educational technology, community engagement, and other factors that influence the learning experience.

Eligibility

The 2015 contest was open to all Pennsylvania public school students in the following categories:

• Elementary division: Grades 4-6
• Middle school division: Grades 7-8
• High school division: Grades 9-12

Students could be nominated by their teachers or submit their essays independently after obtaining approval from their school administrator. Each student could submit only one entry, and all entries had to be original work written specifically for this contest.

Essay Guidelines

Submissions were required to adhere to the following guidelines:

• Essays must address the contest theme directly
• Word count (excluding references):
  • Elementary division: 200-400 words
  • Middle school division: 400-600 words
  • High school division: 600-800 words
• All essays must be typed and double-spaced
• Essays must include a cover page with student's name, grade, school name, school district, and contact information
• Proper citation of any sources used was required
• Essays should demonstrate critical thinking, creativity, and effective communication

Important Dates

Participants and schools needed to observe the following timeline for the 2015 contest:

• September 15, 2014: Contest announcement and materials available
• January 31, 2015: Submission deadline
• February-March 2015: Judging period
• April 15, 2015: Winners announced

Judging Criteria

A panel of judges comprised of educators, school board members, and community representatives evaluated the essays based on the following criteria:

• Relevance to the contest theme
• Originality and creativity of ideas
• Clarity and organization of thought
• Evidence of critical thinking
• Writing mechanics (grammar, spelling, punctuation)
• Depth of analysis and insight

Prizes & Recognition

The 2015 PSBA Essay Contest awarded the following prizes in each division:

All winning students and their schools received recognition through press releases and were honored at their local school board meetings where feasible. Winning essays were also featured on the PSBA website and distributed to member school districts throughout Pennsylvania.

2015 Winners

The 2015 PSBA Essay Contest attracted over 1,500 entries from school districts across Pennsylvania. The judges were impressed by the quality of thought and expression demonstrated by the students. This year's winners included:

Elementary Division (Grades 4-6)

• First Place: Maya Johnson, Lincoln Elementary School, Central Bucks School District
• Second Place: Tyler Chen, Forest Hills Elementary, Upper Dublin School District
• Third Place: Mia Rodriguez, McKinley Elementary, Allentown School District
• Honorable Mentions: Alex Patel, Emily Walsh, Jordan Baker

Middle School Division (Grades 7-8)

• First Place: Samuel Akos, Radnor Middle School, Radnor Township School District
• Second Place: Grace Kim, Abington Junior High, Abington School District
• Third Place: Cameron Davis, Middle School of the Arts, Philadelphia School District
• Honorable Mentions: Sophia Martinez, Ethan Wright, Aisha Johnson

High School Division (Grades 9-12)

• First Place: Madison Lee, Upper Merion Area High School, Upper Merion Area School District
• Second Place: Jameson Brown, Lower Merion High School, Lower Merion School District
• Third Place: Brianna Wilson, Central Dauphin High School, Central Dauphin School District
• Honorable Mentions: Ryan Thomas, Lily Chen, Olivia Martinez

Essays & Impact

The winning essays in 2015 showcased remarkable insights into the future of public education. Students proposed innovative solutions ranging from increased community engagement initiatives to new approaches to personalizing learning through technology.

Madison Lee, first-place winner in the high school division, wrote about creating "innovation labs" within schools where students could collaborate on real-world problems with community mentors. Her essay emphasized that "public education must evolve to not just prepare students for tests, but to empower them as creative problem solvers and engaged citizens."

The elementary division winner, Maya Johnson, focused on the importance of outdoor learning spaces and school gardens in promoting environmental awareness and hands-on science education. Her essay included imaginative ideas for transforming schoolyards into outdoor classrooms.

Schools across Pennsylvania reported using these winning essays as inspiration for discussions about educational innovation and as valuable teaching resources. Several districts even initiated pilot programs based on concepts proposed by the student winners.

Sponsors & Partners

The 2015 PSBA Essay Contest was made possible through the generous support of several organizations committed to strengthening public education:

• Pennsylvania State Education Association
• Educational and Institutional Insurance Administrators (EIIA)
• Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials
• Pennsylvania Association of Elementary and Secondary School Principals
• First National Bank of Pennsylvania

These partners provided not only financial support but also participated in the judging process and helped promote the contest to their networks throughout the state.

Legacy & Continuing Impact

The 2015 PSBA Essay Contest continued the organization's long-standing commitment to elevating student voices in educational discussions. The quality of submissions received that year demonstrated that Pennsylvania students are deeply engaged in thinking about their education and have valuable perspectives to share.

Many of the themes and ideas explored in the 2015 contestparticularly regarding technology integration, personalized learning, and community partnershipshave continued to be relevant in educational discourse. The contest helped these concepts reach school board members, administrators, and policymakers throughout Pennsylvania.

Recognizing the success of initiatives proposed by student participants, several school districts credited ideas from the 2015 contest as inspiration for subsequent educational innovations in their schools. This real-world impact highlighted the value of the PSBA Essay Contest as more than just an academic exercise, but as a genuine forum for educational improvement.