SAN ANTONIO – The Battle of Flowers Association announced the winners of its Texas history essay contest at the Alamo on Monday morning.
This year’s contest asked public and private school students to prepare an essay under a theme of exploring Texas’ “lawmakers and lawbreakers.”
First-place students won a new MacBook computer, second-place students won $500 and third-place students won $250.
Each of the top three schools received funding to support their Texas history curriculum, a news release said. Those funds ranged from $2,000 to $750, respectively.
Students will also be able to participate in this year’s parade.
James Joe, a student from Great Hearts Forest Heights, wrote his paper about Texas General John Pershing.
Pershing helped a group of Chinese refugees living in Mexico enter the country after they had helped his troops. Years later, they were officially granted legal residence in the state.
“The people he saved actually went on and created my church, and I thought it would be fun to integrate what I experienced into my essay,” Joe said.
The winners from each school and their winning essays can be seen below:
Public school winners
First place: James Joe – Great Hearts Forest Heights
Essay title: “Architects of Justice & Agents of Chaos: Pershing’s Chinese”
Teacher: Raymond Kite
Headmaster Paul Gustowski
Second place: Virginia Mendez – Rogers College Prep Middle School, San Antonio ISD
Essay title: “Lawmakers and Lawbreakers: Barbara Jordan”
Teacher: Gabriel Jauregui
Principal: Dr. Moises Ortiz
Third place: Evan Majorka – Great Hearts Forest Heights
Essay title: “Frank Hamer, a Ranger who brought law to Texas”
Teacher: Raymond Kite
Headmaster Paul Gustowski
Private school winners
First place: Devi Hernandez – St. Matthew Catholic School
Essay title: “The Truth Behind the Bars”
Teacher: John Drye
Principal: April Hallfrisch
Second place: Calissa Perales – Mount Sacred Heart Catholic School
Essay title: “Lawmaker of Texas: Sam Houston”
Teacher: Sorayda Alejandro
Principal: Angie Garcia
Third place: Sarah Bryand – The Christian School at Castle Hills
Essay title: “The ‘Good’ Bad Guys”
Teacher: Natasha Mankin
Principal: Justin Russell
Tickets for this year’s Battle of Flowers and Fiesta Flambeau Parades are now on sale.
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