District 47 Seventh-Grader Named 2015 MLK Essay Contest Winner

Bernotas seventh-grader Zachary Ryan was recently named the winner of a local MLK essay writing contest sponsored by FaithBridge, a consortium of faith-based communities in McHenry and Lake counties and the Northwest suburbs of Chicago. The organization started the contest last year to encourage the participation of the area’s youth in reflecting on and commemorating the important work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This year’s contest, open to all area 6th-, 7th- and 8th-graders, required participants to write a response in 350 words or less to the essay theme of “How do you bring about peace in the midst of challenge and controversy?”

Winner Zachary Ryan first heard about the contest from Bernotas language arts teacher Belinda Strebel, who encouraged Ryan and other language arts students to enter. “I am so proud of Zachary,” said Strebel. “He, along with many of his classmates, really put a lot of thought and effort into thinking of ways to deal with controversy, much like MLK did. I love that this writing contest was an opportunity for the students to think about ways to make this world a better place for all. Kids like Zach are an inspiration to kids and adults alike!”

As the contest winner, Ryan will receive a $50 check plus two complimentary tickets to the MLK Interfaith Prayer Breakfast, where he has been invited to read his essay to attendees. The breakfast will be held on Mon., 1/19 from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at D’Andrea banquet hall in Crystal Lake.

Essay by Zachary Ryan, Richard F. Bernotas Middle School

Many people worldwide struggle to bring about peace every day. Such people as Mohandas Gandhi and the honored person in this contest, Martin Luther King, Jr., fought for peace even when they were faced with many challenges and lots of controversy. Many people believe they cannot do anything similar to what they did. While it is true that creating peace can seem like an impossible task, MLK and many others have proved that it is possible.

The first step to creating peace is to find a situation lacking peace. For Martin Luther King, Jr., this situation was the unrest and anger between African Americans and whites. Not all unpeaceful situations have to involve violence or death. Even a debate can be classified as not peaceful. Next you must bring both sides to an agreement. Most conflicts are solved when one side or both sides give up something. These are the steps for solving any argument or conflict.

However, not all arguments can be so easily solved as a dinner table debate. Some conflicts can take decades to solve. The challenges of creating peace in a situation with lots of controversy surrounding it is what makes most people not attempt to do so. To create peace you must make your voice heard by both sides of a conflict. One great example is Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I have a Dream” speech. You must prove to people that conflict is not needed and that peace is much more appealing. Many people are stubborn and will disagree with anyone who doesn’t think the same way. However, most people are understanding and open to other ideas. Most importantly, you must be determined and patient. It is very hard to bring about peace but not impossible.

Peace is not something that you can bring about easily, especially in situations that are controversial and have many challenges. Creating peace requires a lot of hard work, patience and effort. However, people like MLK, Jr., have proven it is not impossible. Anyone can bring about peace as long as they put in the effort.