Senator Witkos, Representative Simanski Host 6th Grade Essay Contest in New Hartford

State Senator Kevin Witkos and State Representative Bill Simanski recently hosted an essay contest for Ann Antolini School students. Northwest Community Bank also presented awards to winners and runners-up.

Northwest Community Bank Presents Awards to Winners and Runners-Up

New Hartford – State Senator Kevin Witkos (R-Canton) and State Representative Bill Simanski (R-Granby) hosted an essay contest ceremony with sixth grade students from the Ann Antolini School on Tuesday, June 11th. The event was hosted in partnership with Northwest Community Bank which presented awards for the winning and runner-up essays.

“I wanted to hold this essay contest to raise awareness of the many great United States presidents in our country’s history,” said Senator Witkos. “This informative event also encourages our young writers to research some of the lesser-known, but equally important achievements of the past leaders of our nation. Whether you wrote the essay as a class assignment or on a voluntary basis, please know that all of you have done a great job, and I am proud of each of you.”

Four winning essays and three runner-up essays were selected among the essays that were submitted by students from Ann Antolini School. The topic was “Who is Your Favorite U.S. President and Why?” The winners and runners-up are listed below:

Winners

Liliahna Beaman
Adam Ferrarotti
Karoline Morton
Ally Rimkie

Runners-Up

Owen McGowan
Mitchell Montano
Casey Weingart
Colin Winkler

“I would like to congratulate each of the students tonight for writing informative and interesting essays about our nation’s leaders,” said Carol Monroe, Branch Manager and Assistant Vice President of Northwest Community Bank.

“We are extremely proud to support this essay contest that benefits students throughout our community and look forward to supporting other educational initiatives in the future” said Gayle Moraski, Vice President and Branch Administrator of Northwest Community Bank.

At the event, the winners and runners-up each read their essay and received a citation from the Connecticut General Assembly. Northwest Community Bank also generously presented the winners with a $100 savings account and runners-up with a $50 savings account.

Liliahna Beaman wrote about the most noteworthy accomplishments of Abraham Lincoln’s presidency, how he achieved his dream of becoming president and how his work for the people inspires her.

Adam Ferrarotti wrote about Herbert Hoover’s controversial presidency and some of his accomplishments that have been overshadowed by the Great Depression.

Karoline Morton wrote about Ronald Reagan, whose conviction and character inspired her as well as his philosophy that the government does not always have the best solution.

Ally Rimkie also wrote about Ronald Reagan, discussing his role in ending the Cold War, his initiatives to lower taxes, eliminate wasteful government spending and reduce government regulations.

Owen McGowan wrote about Barack Obama, our first African American president. Owen is inspired by Obama’s leadership, his dedication to his family and his basketball skills.

Mitchell Montano wrote about Franklin D. Roosevelt for their shared interest in patriotism, love of history and the military.

Casey Weingart wrote about Abraham Lincoln, discussing his successes as president and how he brought our country through difficult times with strength and conviction.

Colin Winkler wrote about Grover Cleveland after learning more about his presidency and being inspired by his efforts.

The students were joined by their parents, grandparents, school administrators, teachers and members of the public who gathered to recognize their accomplishments.

“I would like to thank all the parents and teachers from Ann Antolini School who brought their sixth graders here tonight,” continued Senator Witkos. “I also want to extend my sincere thanks to Northwest Community Bank for partnering with us on this contest and generously providing these impressive students with new savings accounts.”

Northwest Community Bank has served the needs of customers and businesses for over 150 years. Its headquarters is located in Winsted with additional branches in Avon, East Granby, Granby, New Hartford and Torrington. For more information, please visit their website at www.NWCommunityBank.com.