Law Day Contest winners decided
Observer-Reporter
Washington County Courthouse
Courtesy of Metro Creative
Washington County Bar Association Law Day announced its contest winners.
Law Day Contest winners and the recipient of the 2020 Liberty Bell Award have been announced by Washington County Bar Association and its charitable Bar Foundation. The awards were to have been presented at an annual public celebration at the Courthouse in May, but the event has been postponed indefinitely because of COVID-19 safety concerns. The contests are co-sponsored by the Observer-Reporter, and all winning entries will be featured in a special Law Day-themed supplement in the June 7 edition of the newspaper.
Law Day was established in 1958 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to strengthen our nation’s heritage of liberty, justice and equality under the law. Law Day is officially May 1. This year’s theme “Your Vote, Your Voice, Our Democracy: The 19th Amendment at 100,” commemorates the centennial of the constitutional amendment that guaranteed that the right of citizens to vote would not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex. Law Day activities and awards are coordinated by the Bar Association’s Public Relations and Education Committee, chaired by attorney Joyce Hatfield-Wise.
The 2020 Liberty Bell Award recipient is Larry Spahr, who retired earlier this year as Director of Elections of Washington County. The Liberty Bell Award is presented annually to nonlawyers for “outstanding service in promoting a better understanding of our form of government, encouraging respect for law and the courts, stimulating individual responsibilities, contributing to the effective functioning of government and developing an appreciation of the rule of law.”
The Law Day Essay Contest for grades 6 to 12 first-place winner is Emma Malinak, grade 11, Trinity High School; second place, Maria Giorgi, grade 8, Trinity Middle School; third place, Wyatt Coburn, grade 9, McGuffey School District; and fourth place, Gianna Muscaro, grade 10, Burgettstown School District.
The contests were judged by attorneys Joyce Hatfield-Wise, Michele Haggerty, and Cary Jones, and Observer-Reporter staff writer Brad Hundt. The top three essays are printed in today’s newspaper.
Citizenship Project Awards will be presented to Trinity High School’s Trinity Leadership Committee students for their yearlong “Multiplying Service” project, and to Madonna Catholic Regional School’s third-grade class for its “Mock Election” project.
Winning entries in Law Day Creative Arts, “Peeps” Diorama, and Bookmark Contest will be included in the Law Day supplement.
For more information about Law Day and other law-related public education programs offered by Washington County Bar Association, call 724-225-6710.