News Post

Montgomery, Alabama, April 25, 2013 – As the nation celebrates Law Day, a national day set aside to celebrate the rule of law, the Alabama State Bar has announced the winners of this year’s Law Day competition for both primary and secondary school students.

Winners will be recognized Wednesday, May 1st at a special ceremony to be held at 11 a.m. at the Alabama Supreme Court. Morris Dees, co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, will deliver brief remarks. Following the presentation of awards, students and their guests will be treated to a special luncheon at the state bar.

State Bar President Phillip W. McCallum, Birmingham (McCallum Methvin & Terrell PC), said, “We received a record 751 entries from students throughout the state that explored the movement for civil and human rights in America and the impact that it has had in promoting the ideal of equality under the law. Through essays, designing social media content or art displays, the students gave voice to this year’s national Law Day theme, ‘“Realizing the Dream: Equality for All.”’

In the past, the competition was limited to using posters and essays to creatively interpret the theme but it now includes a social media category. Students from Brewbaker Tech Magnet School in Montgomery swept the Twitter category and took first and third places in the Facebook category.

The poster and essay contests are divided into two categories – grades K-6 for posters and grades 7-12 for essays. Winners in the essay and social media categories receive $200, $150 and $100; winners in the poster contest receive $125, $100 and $75.

All winners receive engraved gold medals and award certificates. Schools of all winners receive certificates and teachers of the winners receive a $25 contribution per award for use in their classrooms.

Judges for the competition were: Law Day Committee Chair David J. Rains, Tuscaloosa (Rosen Harwood PA); Co-chair Chad Stewart, Montgomery (Beasley Allen Methvin Crow Portis & Miles PC); Darlene Biehl, Montgomery (editor, River Region magazine); Juliana Dean, Montgomery, associate general counsel (Ala. Dept. of Education); Tommy Klinner, Montgomery, general counsel (Ala. Dept. of Mental Health & Retardation); Ashley Swink Fincher, Auburn (Phelps Dunbar LLP); Craig Baab, Montgomery (Appleseed Center for Law & Justice, Inc.); Alvin Benn, columnist (The Montgomery Advertiser) and assistant general counsels Tripp Vickers and Mark Moody, Alabama State Bar.

List of Winners:

Posters Grades K-3:

1st – Jelan Smith
Harry N. Mixon, Ozark
2nd – Dalton Coleman
W.S. Neal, Evergreen
3rd – Draven Preston
Cherokee, Cherokee

Posters Grades 4-6:

1st – Piper Schneider
Bear Exploration Center, Montgomery
2nd – Brady Orr
Bear Exploration Center, Montgomery
3rd – Taleah Sadler
Fort Payne Middle, Fort Payne

Essays Grades 7-9:

1st – Kara Green
Prattville Christian Academy, Prattville
2nd – Alex Lipscomb
Hilltop Montessori School, Birmingham
3rd – Katlin Thorn
Cherokee High School, Cherokee

Essays Grades 10-12:

1st – Dannielle Thompson
B.T. Washington Magnet, Montgomery
2nd – Taylor Thornton
Colbert Heights High, Russellville
3nd – Adrian Rodriguez
Central High, Phenix CIty

Social Media Grades: Facebook

1st – Nicol Gauntt
Brewbaker Tech Magnet, Montgomery
2nd – Taylor Harris
Pleasant Grove High, Pleasant Grove
3rd – Corey Johnson
Brewbaker Tech Magnet, Montgomery

Social Media Grades: Twitter

1st – Jordan Hendrix
Brewbaker Tech Magnet, Montgomery
2nd – Madison Loehr
Brewbaker Tech Magnet, Montgomery
3rd – Matthew Bailey
Brewbaker Tech Magnet, Montgomery