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SYNDICATE CONTENTMy Philadelphia
In the My Philadelphia contest, students from Philadelphia shared their visions of the city. Check out the winning entries.
Film Contest
Great Expectations challenged area filmmakers to tell us their hopes and fears for Philadelphia. They spoke about their aspirations, their concerns, their prayers for the city. Watch the films.
Other Features
"My Philadelphia" Contest Winners
"My Philadelphia" 2007 Contest Winners
Students from Philadelphia shared their personal visions of the city. Some of them sang its praises while others reflected on its darker side. Entrants came from a cross-section of neighborhoods and schools. The contest was open to all Philadelphia public, parochial, private and charter school students in 10th, 11th and 12th grades.
Grand Prize:
Sophia Ozenbaugh, a recent graduate of the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, takes top honors with her poem "Hypocrisy." She named Regina Cooke as her teacher/mentor for the project.
Video: Sophia gives a reading of the piece.
Video: Sophia talks about the inspiration for her work.
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Second Prize:
Ashley Chavis earns second place with her entry "Take a Walk." Chavis, a graduate of Samuel S. Fels High School, credited Bonnie Gevurtz for her mentoring.
Video: Ashley shows off her entry and discusses the message behind the artwork.
Award of Distinction - Essays/Poetry
Jessica Ruiz rose to the top of the writing category with her entry, "With Red Veins." Jeffrey Hartman at the Widener Memorial School gained her vote as teacher/mentor for the project.
Video: Jessica reads her poem.
Video: Jessica shares the ideas behind her piece.
Award of Distinction - Multimedia
Noah Beresin and Steven Vaughn-Lewis' song, "My Philadelphia. A 3-Part Ode," grabbed the judges' attention. The students credited Volin Avelin of the Julia R. Masterman school as their mentor.
Video: Noah and Steven perform.
Audio: Listen to the song.
Lyrics: Read the lyrics.
Video: Noah and Steven talk about how their project came together.
Award of Distinction - Art
Cashmier Fields of Benjamin Franklin High School submitted "Study in Red" (above) in the art category.
His teacher was Richard Dunoff.
Finalists - Multimedia
"Where is the Love?"
Yevgeniy Levich, Dan Zinshteyn and Corey Abramson of Central High School submitted the video "Where is the Love?".
Audio: The guys talk about the project and their city.
Video: Watch "Where is the Love?"
"Put Cha Hands Up"
Eddy Lantigua of Cardinal Dougherty created the song "Put Cha' Hands Up."
Audio: Eddy talks about what went in to making the song.
Lyrics: Take a look at the lyrics to the song.
Audio: Listen to Eddy perform.
Finalists - Essays/Poetry
"Home of Brotherly Love?"
Leshia Evans submitted the poem "Home of Brotherly Love?" Evans will be a junior at Bodine High School.
Audio: Listen to a reading.
Audio: Leshia chats about why she likes poetry and talks about the inspiration for her entry.
"The Sound of Color"
Rida Haq, a Masterman student, wrote "The Sound of Color" about a day at her favorite spot in the city: The Parkway.
Audio: Listen to a reading.
Audio: Rida shares her thoughts on the future of the city.
"My Philadelphia"
Emily Wilhite's "My Philadelphia" entry describes her daily bus ride from her home in Fairmount to the Y in West Philadelphia, where her swim team practices. Emily attends Masterman high school.
Audio: Listen to a reading.
Audio: Emily talks about her essay.
"Open Your Eyes"
Frederick Phillips was selected for his poetry submission "Open Your Eyes." He attends Community Academy of Philadelphia Charter School.
"My Philadelphia"
Joseph Breslin, another Masterman student, titled his entry "My Philadelphia." His essay describes the city at its best and worst.
Finalists - Art
"Reach Out"
Pamela Orrego, a graduate of Northest High School, designed "Reach Out."
Audio: Pamela explains how she created her art project and why she entered the contest.
"The Bleeding City"
Jocelyn DeGroot-Lutzner's submission, "The Bleeding City," was part of her work as a student at Philadelphia's Central High School.
Audio: Jocelyn talks about her project and growing up in West Philadelphia. Her favorite place in in the city? Her front steps.
"Go Philly"
As a student at Kensington CAPA high school, David Martinez ranked among the contest finalists for his piece "Go Philly." The drawing depicts the gun violence in the city, and issue that has risen to the top of the list of concerns for many in the community.
"Untitled"
Michael DiAngelo Rodriguez, also from Kensington CAPA, sketched a piece showing Michael Nutter looking over a neighborhood street in Philadelphia.
The "My Philadelphia" competition was sponsored by Great Expectations along with the Rotary Club of Philadelphia and the Knight Foundation. Video was produced by Inquirer photographer Laurence Kesterson, as were photos of the art entries and portraits of the top winners. Audio interviews with the finalists were conducted by Jodie Chester and Emily Fox, of Great Expecations and Philly.com.
Judging was done by media and art professionals. Find out more here.
