School unity is rewarding, and $200 doesn't hurt

Hofstra University awarded the West Hempstead school district $200 for submitting a student essay on “Celebrating Suburban Diversity” to its high school writing contest, co-sponsored with BOCES last spring. While any reward is welcomed and appreciated, the school community feels rewarded enough just knowing its students — like essay author Pierre Leconte Jr. — enjoy attending diverse and united schools.

Pierre’s essay was one of 25 from West Hempstead High School entered in the contest. According to Kathleen O’Farrell, director of the district’s English Department, Pierre had written about “how West Hempstead High School is a wonderful place: it’s diverse, yet the students get along with each other so nicely.”

Pierre had written the essay last year as an assignment for O’Farrell’s ninth-grade English honors class, but it seemed a perfect entry for the contest’s topic, which read as follows: “Long Island has experienced a major change in the diversity of its population in the last few years. Write an essay about something you have been exposed to in school or your community that has increased your appreciation of the differences among us.” The contest was open to all ninth-, 10th- and 11th-grade students in Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

It appears the theme of celebrating diversity and unity is recurring at the high school. Currently, the students are writing for a locally sponsored Martin Luther King Jr. writing contest, which will take place in June. They had also written for the PTA-sponsored national Reflections Contest, the theme of which, this year, was “Together We Can.”

Equally as important a having students celebrate diversity, according to O’Farrell, is having them participate in these contests and develop their writing skills.

“We encourage them to participate in as many writing contests as they can and they engage according to the New York State core curriculum,” the English director said. “There are different genres that they have to write within and about, and it’s always wonderful for them to participate in local as well as regional writing contests.”

The West Hempstead Board of Education honored Pierre at it’s Nov. 16 board meeting for his essay and placement in the contest.