Local Students Win in State Mayor Contest

St. Helens, Ore. – All three first-place winners from the local “If I Were Mayor….” Student Contest in St. Helens have placed first and second at the state level contest. Ellie Luke, a fourth grader at Yankton Arthur Academy, took first place in the poster category at the state competition. Taylor “Rosie” Parsons, a sixth grader at Columbia County Christian School, placed first in the essay category. Hayden Stram, a tenth grader who is homeschooled in St. Helens, placed second in the digital media presentation category.

The Oregon Mayors Association received 45 entries from 27 participating cities this year for the statewide contest. First place winners at the state level receive $500 and are invited to attend the Oregon Mayors Association Summer Conference at the Best Western Agate Beach Hotel in Newport, Oregon, for an awards luncheon presentation. Second place winners receive $300.

“I am very proud of all three of our local students,” said Mayor Rick Scholl. “They had excellent presentations and that shows in how well they did against other students around the state.”

The “If I Were Mayor…” Student Contest is an annual contest held in partnership with the Oregon Mayors Association (OMA). Students are asked to share their ideas about what they would do if they were mayor of their city. There are three categories for the contest: a poster competition for grades 4-5, an essay competition for grades 6-8, and a digital media presentation for high school students. The St. Helens City Council evaluates the local entries based on creativity, clarity/sincerity of thought, proper use of grammar, and subject relevancy. First place winners from the local contest are then sent to OMA for a chance to win at the state level. 

In the St. Helens contest, first place winners in each category received $150 cash, and second place winners received a cash prize of $50. All participants are invited to a lunch with Mayor Scholl after the contest is complete.

###

For further information regarding the “If I Were Mayor…” Student Contest, please contact Communications Officer Crystal King at cking@sthelensoregon.gov.  

 

Click any thumbnail image to view a slideshow

Hayden Stram with Mayor Rick Scholl holding balloons and sign announcing state winning
Mayor Scholl with Taylor Rosie Parsons holding balloons and sign announcing state winning
Mayor Scholl with Ellie Luke holding balloons and sign announcing state winning