Every winter, the city of Claremont hosts the annual Making Change Contest to recognize Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other champions of human rights and social justice. The city hosted an awards ceremony for the winners on Tuesday.

This contest presents an opportunity for Claremont students to honor advocates of social change and their efforts to transform our world for the better. Kindergarten through 12th grade students who live in or attend school in Claremont may participate by submitting individual letters, essays or artistic works as a group. The honored students are listed below.

Group category winners:

Sue Felton’s second grade class at Condit for their art submission honoring Malala Yousafzai’s courage and determination.

Heather Lyn’s seventh and eighth grade group from El Roble included Caroline Bibbens, Cece Selznick, Edyn Hawke and Avery Carroll for their art submission illustrating Malala Yousafzai and the fight for women’s equal rights.

Individual winners:

Individual category winners will receive a certificate and a $100 check from the city and school district.

David Jimenez for his letter to city council honoring Cesar Chavez. David is a third grader from Vista Elementary. His teacher is Kevin O’Reilly.

Amanda Lai for her letter to city council honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. Amanda is a fourth grader from Chaparral Elementary and her teacher is Loretta Wolfinbarger.

Paige Oullette for her essay honoring Malala Yousafzai. Paige is a fifth grader from Condit Elementary School and her teacher is Jennifer Luebbers. Paige was not able to attend the awards ceremony due to a performance at the Candlelight Pavilion, but her family accepted the award on her behalf.

Jayla Sheffield for her essay honoring Angela Davis. Jayla is a sixth grader at Sumner-Danbury Elementary School and her teacher is Joe Tonan.

Stephen Nazareth for his audio essay honoring Gandhi. Stephen attends El Roble Intermediate School and his teacher is Ms. Lyn.

Ronit Kathuria for his essay describing the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement. Ronit attends Claremont High School and his teacher is Tamara Nicoll.

Annie Poy for her audio essay defining the essential elements of change.  Annie is a junior at Claremont High School and her teacher is Dave Chamberlain.

Gillian Antona for her essay on evoking social change. Gillian is a senior at Claremont High School and her teacher is Ms. Nicoll.

Kevin O’Connor received an honorable mention for his video on the evolution of human rights. Kevin is a senior at CHS and his teacher is Ms. Nicoll.