The University will commemorate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with its annual King Day celebration at 1 p.m. Monday, Jan. 17, in Richardson Auditorium of Alexander Hall.
The event, which is free and open to the public, will include: an address by Yvonne Smith Segars, state of New Jersey public defender; musical selections by CASYM Steel Orchestra; and the presentation of awards to essay, poster and video contest winners from area schools. In addition, the University will present the first MLK Day Journey Award, recognizing a member of the Princeton faculty, staff or student body who best represents King's continued journey. The event will be Webcast live.
A defense attorney for 17 years, Segars has served as New Jersey's public defender since September 2002, leading the office that provides attorneys for indigent clients in each of the state's 21 counties. Segars has championed the establishment of drug courts in New Jersey, which give non-violent drug offenders a chance to enter highly supervised treatment programs as an alternative to prison. She has lectured nationally on policies relating to criminal justice and drug treatment and is a faculty member for the Justice Management Institute, the National Drug Court Institute and the U.S. Department of Justice's Drug Court Programs Office.
This year's contests for area school children were intended to commemorate the continuing journey of King's work. This year, 300 students from 19 schools submitted essays or videos and nearly 250 students from eight schools submitted posters. Many of the posters will be displayed during the program. The contest winners are:
Poster Contest, Grades 4-6
First Prize ($100): Brooke Ferenczy and Sarah Kreutzer, grade 5, Holland Brook School, Readington
Second Prize ($75): Cherie Y. Gu, grade 6, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton
Third Prize ($50): Lilia Sanzalone, grade 6, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton
Honorable Mention:
Saira Bhayat, grade 6, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton
Monica Chon, grade 6, John Witherspoon School, Princeton
Yael Davidov, grade 6, John Witherspoon School, Princeton
Simon James, grade 5, American Boychoir School, Princeton
Nicole Keim, grade 5, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton
Ryan Lamarca, grade 5, Yardville Elementary School, Hamilton
Hayley Sopko, grade 5, Yardville Elementary School, Hamilton
Essay Contest, Grades 7-8
First Prize ($100): Erica Humphrey, grade 7, Melvin H. Kreps Middle School, Hightstown
Second Prize ($75): Sophia Ginez, grade 7, Crossroads South Middle School, Monmouth Junction
Third Prize ($50): Sarah Alexandra Caswell, grade 7, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton
Honorable Mention:
Maya Chhabra, grade 7, John Witherspoon School, Princeton
Allysa Dittmar, grade 7, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton
Alexandra Ferrera, grade 7, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton
Phillip Grudzina, grade 8, Chapin School, Princeton
Meghan Hurley, grade 8, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton
Sasank Isola, grade 7, Community Middle School, West Windsor
Lucy Melvin, grade 8, First Baptist Church, Princeton
Essay Contest, Grades 9-10
First Prize ($100): Nithya Matthews, grade 9, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton
Second Prize ($75): Brianna Pesce, grade 10, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton
Third Prize ($50): Yassamine Sheeva Ebadat, grade 9, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton
Honorable Mention:
Matthew Bryant, grade 10, Hightstown High School, Hightstown
Niamh Cloughley, grade 9, Villa Victoria Academy, Trenton
Kelly Dunham, grade 10, Villa Victoria Academy, Trenton
Brandon Johnson, grade 9, Rancocas Valley Regional High School, Mount Holly
Lindy Klinger, grade 9, New Jersey School for the Deaf, Katzenbach Campus, Trenton
Kasuni Nanayakkara, grade 10, Steinert High School, Hamilton
Clare Wiles, grade 9, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton
Essay Contest, Grades 11-12
First Prize ($100): Meaghan Byrne, grade 11, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton
Second Prize ($75): Christian Ginez, grade 11, South Brunswick High School, South Brunswick
Third Prize ($50): Kristin Nuzzio, grade 12, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton
Honorable Mention:
Manisha Bhattacharya, grade 12, West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South, Princeton Junction
Christopher Bryant, grade 11, Hightstown High School, Hightstown
Ellen Kraft, grade 11, Villa Victoria Academy, Trenton
Rejon Littlepage, grade 12, Trenton High School West, Trenton
Rémi Meehan, grade 11, West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South, Princeton Junction
Michele Russo, grade 11, Villa Victoria Academy, Trenton
Kay Zhang, grade 11, Lawrenceville School, Lawrenceville
Video Contest
First Prize ($100): Alex and Izzy Kasdin, grade 7, John Witherspoon School, Princeton
Second Prize ($75): Anthony Harrison, grade 9, New Jersey School for the Deaf, Katzenbach Campus, Trenton
Third Prize ($50): Dominic Harrison, grade 9, New Jersey School for the Deaf, Katzenbach Campus, Trenton
Honorable Mention:
Claudia Confoy, grade 9, Villa Victoria Academy, Trenton
Jacob Gonzalez, grade 8, Grice School, Hamilton
Kathryn Rogers, grade 8, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton
The event is convened by the University's Martin Luther King Day Committee and is coordinated by the Office of Communications. The program is supported in part by funds provided by the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Commission, New Jersey Department of State.
