Community Corner

Mineola Sixth Grader Among Honored for Thanksgiving Essay

Sixth grader Jason Lima's essay selected in Sen. Martin's writing contest.

Sixth grade students from around the Seventh New York Senate District showed that they are thankful for the important things in life as they wrote their essays for a , sponsored by State .

Sen. Martins asked each sixth grade student to write a 250-300 word essay on what he or she is most thankful for. On a Thursday evening a week before Thanksgiving, Sen. Martins honored each of the winners and presented them with a Certificate of Achievement during a reception at the Shelter Rock Elementary School. There were over 300 entries, from which 22 winners were chosen. Jason Lima’s essay was the one selected from Mineola.

The students each read their essays to the audience, showcasing their writing ability and that they value what is most important – freedom, health and family. Each student received a round of applause from other winners and their families after reading their essays. 

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Sen. Martins congratulated each one for not only participating in the essay contest, but also for putting the spirit of Thanksgiving into perspective.

“Our children have an amazing capacity for understanding our world. They have an extraordinary ability for empathy and compassion beyond their years. We can be grateful that they willingly share it,” Sen. Martins said. “I was so impressed by their to boil the holiday down to what really matters. I want to thank each of the students who participated in the contest as well as their parents and teachers for making this activity a tremendous success. Every student who wrote an essay is a winner for expressing themselves creatively. I commend them.”

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The winners and their respective schools are as follows:

  • Jason Cuomo, St. Mary’s
  • Lourdes Rohan, Our Lady of Victory
  • Derek Chiang, Buckley Country Day School
  • U’Niah Cromwell, Clara H. Carlson School
  • Danielle Torrisi, New Hyde Park Road School
  • Ajay Sharma, Manor Oaks School
  • Aurbrey Jerome, Gotham Avenue School
  • Christian Calamuci, Henry Viscardi School
  • Sabrina Myers, Vincent Smith School
  • Bradford Lin, Great Neck North Middle School
  • Clara Goldberger, Great Neck South Middle School
  • Jason Lima,
  • Sarah Finkelstein, Carrie Palmer Weber Middle School
  • Danielle Marra O’Shea, St. Brigid Our Lady of Hope Regional School
  • Sara Choi, Herricks
  • Ashley Pereira, Rushmore Avenue School
  • Joseph Jonas, Stewart Manor School
  • Tommy Drenis, Roslyn Middle School
  • Amanda Britney Chau, WT Clarke Middle School
  • Ryan Ross, Dutch Broadway School
  • Diana Santoro, Floral Park-Bellerose School


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