Three Students Win TASC Essay Contest

Three young authors read their original essays to a gathering of more than 100 after-school site coordinators and other program leaders at a TASC Peer Conference this week after winning a contest, sponsored by TASC, to write the most persuasive essays on the topic of what their New York City after-school programs mean to them.

Giselle Delgado, a fifth grade student at PS 85, wrote, "We get to do journal writing and express our feelings with no one to judge us...If I had never been part of this after-school, I would never have learned karate skills and how to take care of myself."

Dawon Thomas, a third grader at the same school, wrote, "Mr. Pat has a club called Building Healthy Communities where you get to know about diabetes, healthy snacks and why exercise is so important for your body. We did a walk marathon in our community. It was a great experience, and I will ask Mr. Pat if we can do it again next year."

Angela Eilers, a tenth grader at Monroe Campus High School, wrote of her program, "I can now take a beautiful picture, make great food, use self-defense, walk like a model and dance. I now know a place where I can get help without feeling inferior."

All three students attend after-school programs operated by New York City Mission Society. TASC Peer Conferences, which provide training and networking opportunities to program leaders, are supported by a generous grant from the Citi Foundation.