The North Dallas Gazette, AT&T and Nimitz High School (NHS) in Irving, TX partnered together for the 2014-2015 school year to launch the Texting, It Can Wait Scholarship Essay competition. NHS seniors were able to participate in the competition by writing a 800 word or less essay to their parent or guardian about the dangers of texting and driving.
Students essays were judged on the following criteria:
- Word count – 800 words or less
- On topic – Letter to parent about the dangers of texting and driving
- Grammar and punctuation
- Academic Achievement
Several students entered the essay contest, which ran from Sept. 2 – Sept. 30, encouraging their loved ones to wait and text.
“We believe in the importance of education, regardless of one’s environment or circumstances so we were proud to have these students enter into the essay competition and submit their clear thoughts on how to reduce the dangers of texting and driving,” says Thurman Jones, publisher of North Dallas Gazette.
The winners were announced on Oct. 15 at an assembly for the seniors. Commissioner Elba Garcia, Angela Ross and Charles Bassett, AT&T representatives, the faculty and staff from Nimitz High School and others were in attendance to acknowledge 1st place winner Ali Khoutek, 2nd place winner Jorge Reyes and 3rd place winner Jennipher Miller. The scholarship prizes range from $750-$250.
“We couldn’t have executed this opportunity without the great staff at Nimitz including Mrs. Valerie Roper who ensured the students were well informed about the scholarship competition and AT&T representatives Charles Bassett and Angela Ross for assisting us with judging and the logistics of everything,” says scholarship project manager Ivy N. McQuain. “We look forward to future opportunities to award students in the area for their hard work, commitment and dedication to their educational goals.”
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