PEABODY — Three local high school students were honored this week for their submissions to the America 250 Essay Contest.
The contest was introduced by Brooksby Village resident Sandy Kozlen and inspired by his enthusiasm for history, the city said in a prepared statement. Kozlen also made a generous contribution that funded the prizes awarded to winning students.
Participating students were asked to research lesser-known signers of the Declaration of Independence using traditional means of research with responsible use of ethical AI research tools.
Christian LeBlanc won the contest’s first-place prize of $300, and runners-up Courtney Nakabiri and Ariani Jimenez Infante won prizes of $150 each. They also received citations from Mayor Ted Bettencourt in an award presentation before their families at Peabody City Hall.
A reproduction of the Declaration of Independence was on display at City Hall’s Wiggin Auditorium during the ceremony, as it will be over the next year as the nation celebrates 250 years of independence.