Simone Smith, a local home school student, won a League of Women Voters essay contest in April and was recently interviewed on a podcast about her win.
The essay question was: “Do current districts and redistricting process in Indiana reflect democratic principles? Why or why not?” Smith, now a senior, won $200 after her essay was chosen out of 12 other entries by the Retired Teachers Association.
Smith was interviewed by an LWV Bloomington Monroe County Civics podcast on Oct. 8, which aired earlier this month.
Smith “exemplifies youths’ awareness and engagement in the issues of today, as well as faith and hope for the future,” said LOWV Brown County President Shari Frank.
Essays were judged anonymously by members of the Brown County Retired Teachers Association. The contest was developed in conjunction with former Brown County Middle School We the People teacher Michael Potts and Brown County High School history teacher Emily Lewellen.
Lewellen recently was named the 2021 Indiana History Teacher of the Year by Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.
The podcast, Civic Conversations, is available online to listen at www.lwv-bmc.org/podcasts and www.wfhb.org/category/civic-conversations/.
Read Smith’s essay online at: bcdemocrat.com/2021/06/04/students_win_cash_with_essays_on_redistricting-6/.
