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Press Release
McCormick Freedom Museum Announces Winners in National Student
Expression Contest
Contest enables a look at the First Amendment through the eyes of teens
Contact: Abby Taylor
ATaylor@McCormickTribune.org
312 222 3188
Chicago, Mar. 6, 2009
The McCormick Freedom Museum is celebrating youth voices by
rewarding twelve talented high school students for their depictions of contemporary freedom
issues. In the Freedom Museum’s national student expression contest, Seen & Heard, students
express their thoughts on contemporary social, political or economic issues using four media
outlets: editorial cartoon, film, photojournalism and digital design. Each category includes a
first, second and third prize winner. The winning works will be displayed in a special exhibit,
Seen & Heard in April.
“The goal of our annual student expression contest is to debunk the adage that ‘children
should be seen and not heard,’” said Nathan Richie, director of programs and exhibits,
McCormick Freedom Museum. “We are pleased to receive nearly 400 terrific entries this year. It
is often said that students’ voices are among the most powerful in the nation, but also among
the most censored. Since we are an organization dedicated to freedom and the First
Amendment, it is our goal to give teens an outlet to make their voices heard.”
The 2009 Seen & Heard winners include the following individuals:
Digital Category
1. The President of All the People by Asad Badat, 12th Grade, Eisenhower Senior High
School in Houston, TX
2. TeenforFreedom.com by Jeff Moree, 12th Grade, Carmel Catholic High School,
Mundelein, IL
3. Juxtaposd.org by Dustin Sneath, 12th Grade, Elk Grove High School,
Elk Grove Village, IL
Editorial Cartoon Category
1. Corporat Rescue by Rita Rosenfeld, 12th Grade, Oceanside High School, Oceanside, NY
2. A New Generation of Peace and Freedom by Vicky Kao, 12th Grade, Niles North High
School, Skokie, IL
3. Peace on Earth by Ashley Rachelle Wiens,12th Grade, West Salem High School,
Salem, OR
Film Category
1. The Bourgeois Blues by Lukas Williams, 10th Grade, Sidwell Friends School,
Washington, D.C.
2. The Right to Privacy by De'Andre Armstrong, Rosie Martin, Vennetta Sims and Stephen
Wilkes, 9th Grade, Free Spirit Media, Chicago, IL
3. Without by Kerry Furrh, 11th Grade, Wheaton North High School, Wheaton, IL
Photojournalism Category
1. The People’s Church by Jacob Colon, 11th Grade, Long Beach High School,
Lido Beach, NY
2. Bleak by Liz Cronin, 12th Grade, Peters Township High School, McMurray, PA
3. Can ‘hope’ help me? by Kori Pritchett, 12th Grade, Spanish Fork High School,
Spanish Fork, UT
The twelve finalists from each category were selected by a panel of Freedom Museum staff,
academic experts and First Amendment practitioners. Each grand prize winner will receive a
$500 cash prize and an all-expense-paid trip to Chicago, along with their teacher or
parent/guardian, to attend the opening of a special exhibit that will display their winning entries.
In addition, an overall contest winner will receive the Mary Beth Tinker Student Choice Award
and a $1000 cash prize. This student will be chosen by a student panel selected by the
Freedom Museum.
Although the Constitution is both the foundation and guardian of our liberties, it’s nevertheless
a fragile thing that cannot survive without the dedication and constant support of our citizens.
In order to protect freedoms for future generations, teens today must value and understand
their freedoms. The Seen & Heard contest not only gives high school students the opportunity
to learn first-hand about their First Amendment rights, but also to apply their knowledge on
contemporary freedom issues.
“The Freedom Museum hopes to showcase the benefits of free expression enabled by the First
Amendment through this contest and the special exhibit in April,” said Richie. “When young
people practice their First Amendment rights, enhanced appreciation follows, along with a
greater commitment to defending them in the future.”
Special Exhibit
On April 11 the Freedom Museum hosts a new temporary exhibit, in downtown Chicago,
showcasing students’ work from across the country and depicting their thoughts
on contemporary freedom issues. The exhibit reveals that the First Amendment flourishes in
our nation’s schools and among its students. Through student media and expression, the
Museum hopes to inspire other teens and citizens to value the role the First Amendment plays
in protecting freedom for future generations. The exhibit runs through early May.
About the McCormick Freedom Museum
The McCormick Freedom Museum inspires generations to understand, value and protect
freedom. Through extensive outreach initiatives citizens gain a greater understanding of the
struggle for freedom in the United States and the role the First Amendment plays in society.
The McCormick Freedom Museum is part of the McCormick Foundation family, which also
includes the Robert R. McCormick Museum, Cantigny Park and Golf, the Cantigny First Division
Foundation and five grant making programs. To learn more about the Freedom Museum’s new
outreach program visit
www.FreedomMuseum.US.
A focus on children, communities and country unites the Foundation and its many parts and
keeps us true to our mission of advancing the ideals of a free and democratic society. To learn
more, please visit
www.McCormickFoundation.org.
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