Lt. Governor Awards Scholarships To Three Delaware High School Seniors

Dover - Lt. Governor John Carney, Secretary of Education Valerie Woodruff, Senator David Sokola, and former Representative Wayne Smith joined state legislators and education professionals this morning to award scholarships to the winners of the 2007 Legislative Essay Contest. The winners, Courtney Keitel from Dover High School, Joshua Marks from Brandywine, and Theresa Brock from William Penn, took the top three prizes and were awarded a total of $22,500.

"I'm very impressed with Courtney, Josh, and Theresa," said Lt. Governor Carney, "Winning this contest takes a lot of time and commitment, and I'm glad we're able to provide scholarships as a reward for their effort."

The topic for this year's essay was: "The Declaration of Independence states that all men are created equal. How true was this concept then and it is true today?" Courtney, Josh, and Theresa's essays were chosen from over 200 entries.

"It was an important subject that they wrote about," stated Lt. Governor Carney, "and each one of them showed that they understood the quote and could apply it to what's going on in the world today."

The Legislative Essay Scholarship, open only to Delaware high school seniors, was started in 2000 by HB 545, co-sponsored by Senator David Sokola and former Representative Wayne Smith. The topic changes annually and focuses on events, people, philosophies, and ideals from early American history.

For pictures of the Legislative Essay Scholarship presentation, please visit our photo gallery.