'Good Citizen' Essay Award Winners Recognized

Jabrea Jones said she always tries to be a good citizen, especially when it comes to cheering up friends when they are upset.

The Glenmar Elementary School fifth grader said there are many ways to be a good citizen, including working to take care of the Earth, following the law and helping others through events like food drives.

Jones described what she envisions a good citizen to be in an essay she wrote as part of a contest kicked off this year by state Sen. J.B. Jennings. Jennings liked her essay so much that he awarded her with a certificate during a surprise assembly Friday at her school in Middle River.

"I love helping people," said Jones, 10. "I also love to write and getting to explain what it takes to be a good citizen was a lot of fun. I never expected to win anything."

Jones received the top honor from Jennings while fellow fifth graders, Emily Rivas and Oluwatoyin Oladisbolu were also recognized by Jennings. The contest was open to any elementary school in District 7, which encompasses parts of Baltimore and Harford counties.

In all, seven schools participated in the contest with each school earning an individual winner. The grand prize winner will be invited to Annapolis on Feb. 26 to receive a senatorial citation and get a tour of the state senate building. The winners from the other schools will also be invited to Annapolis for the ceremony.

"This is just one way we can get young people involved in the government process and teach them about what we do in Annapolis," said Jennings, a Harford County Republican. "It's also a great way to get children to think about what it means to be a good citizen."

Glenmar Elementary School reading teacher Kathy Coleman said she was proud of the students and hopes to see more participate in the contest in the future.

"These are all good kids who put in extra work to complete their essays," Coleman said. "They did all of this on their own and all we did was help proofread them. They did an outstanding job describing what it means to be a good citizen."