A total of 32 seventh and eighth grade students at Brown recently participated in the “Festival of Lights” Essay Contest. The contest was sponsored by the Historic Westside Cultural Arts Council.
The goal of the council is to promote native and local arts and culture from within the Historic Westside Community. This is accomplished by mentoring, training, and nurturing individuals through fun, artistic, and educational occasions.
The participating students wrote a 300-500 word essay about their communities on one of the following topics: “My Beloved Community” or “How I Play in My Community.”
Ebone’ Harris and R’Daizjya Bell, both eighth grade students at Brown, were awarded first and second place respectively.
The winners received gift cards for their outstanding essays, and all participants were recognized during a press conference held at Brown Middle School.
The winners and participants also served as the Grand Marshalls for the “Festival of Lights” Parade hosted by The Historic Westside Cultural Arts Council, on Saturday, October 12, 2013. 
