Bergum among essay contest finalists

The 12th annual PBS 8 high school essay contest was recently judged, and Kate Bergum of Superior High School is among the 25 finalists this year.

According to the independent judges reading all 818 essays written by high school students from 19 area high schools, these are “the most eloquent essays yet submitted in this contest.” Using the theme “What Inspires You?” students wrote essays about the beauty of the region; the impact of parents, relatives and others; the inauguration; the service of the U.S. military; the importance of teachers; music; art; athletics and student activities, and much more.

The judges had a particularly difficult time selecting 25 finalists in this contest. The quality of the essays and the range of subjects and topics made selection particularly difficult this year.

The scholarship winners will be published in a special feature in the Duluth News Tribune at the end of January.

The essays of the 25 finalists will be included as an exhibit in the Contest exhibit in Kruk Gallery at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, which opens Feb. 1. The gallery is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The contest program this year will close the exhibit this year and will be in the Kathryn Ohman Theater in Old Main at UWS. The program begins at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 14 followed by the exhibit in the Kruk Gallery in the adjoining Holden Fine Arts Building.

Superior High School’s Kate Bergum is one of the 25 finalists for the 2009 PBS 8 High School essay contest.

The contest program and exhibit is free and open to the public.

Tags: essay contest, community, school, contest, superior