Norwin’s Jason Shirley Wins Western Pennsylvania Essay Contest

IRWIN, PA, December 9, 2005 — Jason Shirley is celebrating his winning entry in the just-completed Blueprint Communities essay contest.

The Norwin Middle School seventh-grader bested submissions by 142 other students from ten communities across western Pennsylvania to take the top prize in an essay contest sponsored by the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh (FHLBank).

Shirley received a $500 check and a handsome trophy from the FHLBank at the Western Pennsylvania Division's final training session, held December 8 at Hidden Valley Resort near Somerset. Shirley had been identified December 1 as one of 17 local winners, for which he received $100, a certificate of achievement from Gov. Rendell, a poster suitable for display at Norwin Middle School and a T-shirt proclaiming him the winner. Robert Michaud, vice president of Marketing at Irwin Bank & Trust, made the presentation to Shirley at the final workshop, where Shirley read his winning essay.

"The members of our local Blueprint Communities team are exceedingly proud of Jason," said Michaud. "His winning entry displayed considerable thought, excellent use of language and strong community spirit, all of which propelled him to top division honors.

"Jason's achievement is bound to be an inspiration to his fellow students and to the many other members of our community who are interested in making Irwin a better place to live and work," Michaud added.

As part of the local introduction of Blueprint Communities, students in grades 6-8 were invited to take part in an essay contest that asked this question: "A 'blueprint' is a plan for the best way to build something — a car, a house, a career, a future. What would be your blueprint making your community a better place to live?"

A total of 245 entries of 500 words or less were received from 17 Blueprint Communities across the state. The essays were evaluated by an independent panel of one dozen graduate students in English at the University of Pittsburgh using the Pennsylvania Writing Assessment Domain Scoring Guide, which considers the writer's focus, content, organization, style and conventions such as grammar, spelling and usage.

"We're delighted at the tremendous participation by local students in our just-completed essay contest," stated John J. Bendel, director of Community Investment at the FHLBank. "Our hope is that programs like this will continue to build momentum for Blueprint Communities, involving young people and their families in support of the initiative and providing a strong foundation for the implementation of practical, achievable revitalization efforts by local leaders."

Shirley's essay may be read on the Irwin page of this site. A separate grand prize is being awarded in the Eastern Pennsylvania Division. For more photos, click here.