Award Ceremony to be held on June 3, 2008
Coney Island, May 30, 2008
Coney Island Development Corporation (CIDC) today announced the winners of the First Annual Coney Island Student Writing Competition. Students in Grades One through Twelve were invited to submit an essay of up to 500 words on their vision for the future of Coney Island.
“We had an overwhelming response from the students of Coney Island,” said CIDC President Lynn Kelly. “It is inspiring to see how involved they already are in shaping their community. As we continue in our efforts to make Coney Island even better, we can be confident that the knowledge of the current generation is being passed onto our next generation of leaders.”
The winners will be recognized at an awards ceremony on Tuesday, June 3rd at the New York Aquarium Education Hall and have their essays posted on the CIDC website; they are:
3rd grade: Varney Sirleaf Blamah, P.S 329
4th grade: (tie) Imani Stokley and Samantha Ng, P.S 188
5th grade: Moriom Uddin, P.S. 90
6th grade: (tie) Alejandra Porosnicu, Arina Bykadorova, and Michelle Chan, I.S. 239, Mark Twain School for the Gifted and Talented
7th grade: Zaman Gilami, Bay Academy
The winning essays were selected by a committee of Coney Island stakeholders including: Nicole Robinson-Etienne, Community Outreach Coordinator, CIDC; David Anderson, Director, Horizons Academy; Eric Levy, Development Director, Astella Development Corporation; Cynthia Reich, Deputy Director, New York Aquarium & CIDC Board Member; Lisa Miekle, Assistant Curator of Education, New York Aquarium; and Kate Fitzgerald, Manager, Public Affairs, New York Aquarium.
About CIDC
The Coney Island Development Corporation was formed in September 2003 by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, the City Council, and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. The 13-member CIDC Board includes City officials and local and Brooklyn-wide business and community leaders. It is charges with spearheading and implementing a comprehensive planning process for Coney Island and creating a coordinated economic development strategy for the area.
Contact: Janel Patterson/Libby Langsdorf 212-312-3523
