|
Governor Steve Beshear's Communications Office
Winner of First Lady’s Inaugural Essay Contest to Attend 59th Inauguration of Gov. Steve Beshear
14-year-old Mollie Watson of Lexington selected as winner
FRANKFORT, Ky.– A 14-year-old Lexington middle school student will share the inaugural stage with Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear tomorrow as the winner of an essay contest sponsored by First Lady Jane Beshear.
Mollie Watson, an eight-grader at Tates Creek Middle School in Lexington, was recently selected for her essay – “Moving Kentucky Forward” – and was invited to the 2 p.m. swearing-in ceremony of Gov. Beshear and Lt. Gov-elect Jerry Abramson on the steps of the Capitol.
Watson will attend the event with her parents, Ralph and Leslie Watson, and her language arts teacher, Sheila DeVary. Watson wrote her essay on how education is the key to Kentucky’s success.
“In a society where the future is all that we as people can depend on, children are immensely important. Education for those children is equally essential, and I believe school and general knowledge should be the most important factor in every child’s life. To move Kentucky forward to a better and brighter future as a 14-year-old, I can do my best to meet my own expectations.”
Students in grades 6-8 were asked to explore how they could take an active role in moving Kentucky forward. Each school was asked to send one essay that represented its students to the Kentucky Department of Education. The department, which judged the entries, received numerous essays from around the state.
A former school teacher, Mrs. Beshear partnered with the department to engage middle school students across the Commonwealth in the history and traditions of the inauguration though the essay contest, entitled “Kentucky Forward – I Can Help.”
The theme of the contest complements the overall inaugural theme of the 59th Inauguration, “Kentucky Tomorrow.”
“We are thrilled that our middle school students could learn about the inauguration and the needs of Kentucky as part of the official ceremonies to begin Gov. Beshear’s second term,” Mrs. Beshear said. “Education and its role in the future of Kentucky will continue to be a priority for the Governor as he, like many of the students who wrote essays, looks to move Kentucky forward.”
###
|