Winners of 2023 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day poster and essay contests announced

The Brookings Human Rights Commission has announced the winners of its 2023 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day poster and essay contests. Dr. King was a supporter of human rights and freedoms for all citizens.

The contests are designed for participants to reflect on Dr. King’s ideas and the effect on our community through their contest entry. This year’s contest themes were based on Dr. King quotations.

Mayor Oepke “Ope” Niemeyer will present the winners with their awards at the Brookings City Council meeting on Tuesday, January 24, at 5:30 p.m. To watch a livestream or replay of the Council meeting, go to cityofbrookings-sd.gov/CityCouncil. 

All poster entries will be on display at the Brookings Public Library for the remainder of January, at South Dakota State University throughout the month of February, and on the City of Brookings website at www.cityofbrookings-sd.gov. 

The poster contest was open to Brookings County K-5 students and participants from ADVANCE. The contest theme was “True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.” 

The essay contest was open to Brookings County middle and high school students and participants from ADVANCE. The theme was “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

Contest winners are:

Grade K-1 - Poster                  

1^st Place ($25.00)
Kenlee Greve
Medary Elementary – 1st Grade
Teacher: Alec Johnson
Parents: Kyle and Kalee Greve

2^nd Place ($15.00)
Simon Arnold
Medary Elementary – Kindergarten
Teacher: Chelsea Acheson
Parents: Mychal and Emmy Arnold

3rd Place ($10.00)
Norah Miller
Medary Elementary – 1st Grade
Teacher: Caleb Langer
Parents: Meagan and Tyler Miller

Grade 2-3 - Poster  

1^st Place ($25.00)
Don Lin
Medary Elementary – 3rd Grade
Teacher: Jennifer Corlett
Parents: Xueyin and EnQin Lin

2^nd Place ($15.00)
Juliette Bechmann
Medary Elementary – 3rd Grade
Teacher: Jennifer Corlett
Parents: Olivia and Justin Bechmann

3^rd Place ($10.00)
Emily Vandersnick
Medary Elementary – 3rd Grade
Teacher: Jennifer Corlett
Parents: Amber and Nathan Vandersnick

Grade 4-5 - Poster 

1^st Place ($25.00)
Timothy Jin
Camelot Intermediate School – 4th Grade
Teacher: Sarah Stoltenberg
Parents: Hailong Jin and Tong Wang

 2^nd Place ($15.00)
Kate Gayne
Camelot Intermediate School – 5^th Grade
Teacher: Sarah Stoltenberg
Parents: Geoffrey Gayne and Chaundra Hilleson-Gayne

3^rd Place ($10.00)
Maria Koromyslova
Camelot Intermediate School– 5th Grade
Teacher: Sarah Stoltenberg
Parents: Alex and Kate Koromyslova

ADVANCE - Poster                  

1^st Place ($25.00)
Cole Collins
Parents: Jason and Renia Collins

 2^nd Place ($15.00)
Maggie Stephens
Parent: Theresa Stephens

3^rd Place ($10.00)
Fred Jess 

Essay – Middle School

Sanhita Tummala
1^st Place ($100.00)
Mickelson Middle School – 6^th Grade
Teacher: Jeff Olson
Parent: Vijaya Gaddipati

Sinan Briddick
2^nd Place ($75.00)
Mickelson Middle School – 7^th Grade
Teacher: Sarah Stoltenberg
Parents: Hande and Chris Briddick

Finn Bartlett
3^rd Place ($50.00)
Mickelson Middle School – 8^th Grade
Teacher: Sarah Stoltenberg
Parents: Dustin and Pam Bartlett