From 5th-grader Marley Coleman calling for more black educators to 10th-grader Kimani Johnson worrying about having to swim to school because of climate change, 46 DC students wowed 200 community leaders, educators, and their family members with tightly crafted arguments, essays, and presentations at the 2022 Spring One World Challenge. The winners are:

Stage Presentation

1st Place
High School: Dartagnan McMillan, IDEA PCS, Human Trafficking
Middle School: Gabriel Lucas-Kinlow, Howard University PCS, Police Brutality
2nd Place
High School: Messiah Youssef-Green, McKinley Tech, School Stress
Middle School: Sofia Randall, Creative Minds PCS, Racial Inequality
3rd Place
High School: Kelly Abundez, Benjamin Banneker, Sexualization of Women in the Media
Middle School: Zola Bonelli, E.L. Haynes PCS, Refugee Policies in America

Board Presentation

1st Place
High School: Melvin Castillo-Suarez, McKinley Tech, Poverty
Middle School: Chioma Ogbonnaya, Paul PCS, Cyberbullying
2nd Place
High School: Mikayla Kelley, Benjamin Banneker, Gap Year
Middle School: Emoni Simmons, Howard University PCS, Bullying
3rd Place
High School: Tayania Taylor, IDEA PCS, Domestic Violence
Middle School: Gabrielle (Gabby) Fox, M.M. Bethune PCS, Domestic Violence

Essay Contest

1st Place
High School: Noor Rizvi, Benjamin Banneker, Afghanistan’s Economy
Middle School: Marley Jordan Coleman, E.L. Haynes PCS, Black Educators
2nd Place
High School: Marymanita Mensah, Benjamin Banneker, Colonialism in French West Africa
Middle School: Aden Curtis, Creative Minds PCS, Deforestation
3rd Place
High School: Kaya Richards-Alleyne, McKinley Tech, Legalizing Abortion
Middle School: Felicia Ogundimu, Howard University PCS, Child Soldiers

Special kudos to our school partners who urged us to delay but not cancel when the omicron variant was running rampant. We deeply appreciate their courage and perseverance in the face of SO many challenges!