Hartford 375 essay contest winners announced

As part of its celebration of Hartford's 375th anniversary, the city held an essay contest for public school students, asking them: What aspect of Hartford’s history is most significant to preserve for the next 375 years and why? At the February 14 City Council meeting, Mayor Pedro Segarra announced the winners. The mayor had served as one of the judges, along with Council President rJo Winch, Superintendent of Schools Steven Adamowski, Connecticut Science Center President and CEO Matt Fleury, and historian Wilson Faude.

The winners and their essays, in PDF format:

• First prize: Mario Lopez Silva, a senior at Bulkeley High School. He wrote on the role of diversity in Hartford's history.
  
  
• Second prize: Vidalys Traverzo, a junior at the Law and Government Academy at Hartford Public High School. She wrote on the importance of preserving Hartford's parks.
  
  
• Third prize: Paul Pino, also junior at the Law and Government Academy at HPHS. He wrote on the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art.