Photo Provided Winners of Ohio University Eastern’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. writing contest gather to celebrate their honors and reflect on MLK’s life and legacy.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — High school and middle school students from across the Ohio Valley read their essays that reflected on quotes by Martin Luther King Jr. at Ohio University Eastern on Wednesday evening.

The university celebrated King’s legacy on campus and commemorated its 2025 MLK writing contest winners during the annual celebration.

The event honored the first-, second- and third-place winners from the middle and high school divisions of the writing contest. Their essays looked back on MLK’s mission and work.

Students in grades six through 12 across Belmont, Carroll, Harrison, Jefferson, Guernsey, Monroe and Noble counties in Ohio and from the West Virginia counties of Brooke, Marshall and Ohio were able to enter the writing contest and think critically about how King’s vision applies to the world today.

Director of Student Services Jennifer Kellner-Muscar promoted the essay contest in the fall and asked students to submit a reflection on a quote from King displayed on the memorial in Washington, D.C. Nearly 50 entries came in with essays and poems submitted in December prior to MLK Jr. Day in January.

“I think it gives students an opportunity to sit back and really think about the legacy that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has left,” Kellner-Muscar said.

Middle school contest winners were Skye Bondy from Buckeye Trail Middle School in first place, Gracie Wagstaff from Buckeye Trail Middle School in second place and Amelia Wheeler from Buckeye Trail Middle School in third.

High school winners were Amelia Copney from Wheeling Central Catholic High School in first place, Kara Desjarlais from Shenandoah High School in second place and Lylah Fogle from Buckeye Trail High School in third.

Kellner-Muscar said names, ages and high schools were removed, so submissions were completely anonymous for the judges, including an Ohio Eastern student writing tutor, an AmeriCorps serving member and an English faculty member.

“We just really want to give this opportunity to the local schools to connect with our campus, and also to connect with the words of Dr. Martin Luther King,” Kellner-Muscar said.

When first-place winner Copney saw the contest advertised, she immediately wanted to participate. She didn’t know what she wanted to write about, but her parents told her to write about herself and her experiences – not how other people see her, but how she sees herself.

When Copney found out she had won first place, she was super excited, she said. She added that she felt really honored to have won first place in the high school division.

Copney said she thinks it’s important for students her age to get to do projects like this because they don’t always get to express themselves while talking, and writing down feelings is a great way to do it. She thought the essays were a good way for people in her generation to let go and talk about their feelings.

“I was truly proud of myself,” she said. “And I feel like in this generation, people kind of see us as really destructive. But at the same time, I feel like we just have a lot of feelings and emotions.”

Guest speaker Jerry Moore II, president of the Belmont County NAACP, took inspiration for his speech from a King speech from Barrett Junior High School in Philadelphia on Oct. 26, 1967, about one’s life blueprint, giving three major points to success.

The first key point is to have a deep belief in someone’s self worth and dignity; the second point is to achieve someone’s excellence; and the third is to set up one’s guide, plan or “blueprint,” which one will be able to adjust when they reach bumps in the road.

Moore II reflected on MLK Jr.’s work, saying it’s pertinent for everybody because everyone can use a blueprint for their life and success plan regardless of color.

He added that people have to realize they have to be able to adjust to King’s final point, which is to be committed to beauty, love and justice and that people should have love for each other as humans and speak up for injustices and pursue justice.

“I think regardless of color, these are pertinent things that we as American society could use,” Moore II said. “There were a lot of young people in there, and I think a lot of the young people can use it to create their life’s blueprint for success.”

Moore II said he thinks it’s important to deliver a speech at the event because of everything that’s going on in the world and in our country, and everyone should understand that they’re responsible for their own life.

“We try to give them a guide in there to create their blueprint, to be flexible in their plan for adjustment and improvement,” he said. “And I think those are key things that our young people need to know – that maybe their initial rough draft of a blueprint to their life will change over time to their final product. And I think that’s something that every kid can take away and use that helps develop them for the future.”