The three finalists in the 2014 TEAM Westport Teen Diversity Essay Contest have been selected. They will be
named and recognized at an Awards Ceremony on Monday, March 31 at 6:30pm in the McManus Room of the
Westport Library.
Co-sponsored by TEAM Westport and the Westport Library, the Contest asked teens to consider the following:
According to the U.S. Census, 30 years from now racial and ethnic groups that are currently in the minority in
our country will collectively outnumber whites. For people aged 20 and younger, the total minority population
already outnumbers whites. As a high school student in 2013-14, you and your contemporaries are part of this
new reality. Please reflect on the impact this demographic trend will have on our country and on your life. In
1,000 words or less, describe what you think are the benefits and challenges of this change for Westport and for
you, personally.
The Contest was open to all Grade 9-12 students who are Westport residents or attend a Westport school (public or
private). The Ceremony will not only recognize the first, second and third place winners in the Contest but celebrate
the efforts of all 25 teen authors who submitted essays. Each of the 3 finalists will read their essay aloud and then be
awarded their prize. Prize amounts for first, second and third place are $1,000, $750 and $500 respectively. Judges
for the essay contest were Patricia Wei, of Yale University; grant writer, editor and educator Judith A. Hamer,
Ph.D, ; and the Westport Library’s Teen Services Librarian Jaina Lewis. The awards ceremony is free and open to
the public.
TEAM Westport is the official committee of the Town of Westport established to “achieve, celebrate and extend a
more welcoming, multicultural community” with a focus on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and religion. TEAM
is an acronym standing for “Together Effectively Achieving Multiculturalism”. Initially convened in by First
Selectwoman Diane Farrell in 2003 as a taskforce, TEAM Westport became a Selectman’s ad hoc committee in
2004 and a town committee in 2005.