CMS Eighth Grader Wins Human Rights Essay Contest

The right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness are at the heart of the winning essay for the 2012 Plymouth Human Rights Committee's annual middle school essay contest.

eighth grader Nikhil Deshpande earned the top honors essay contest with her essay that looks at those rights that she has in her life, but may not be present in other children's lives in other parts of the world. (See the full essay with this article.)

The city's winning essay will advance to the statewide competition, sponsored by the League of Minnesota Human Rights Commissions. Deshpande will receive a cash prize of $75 and will compete for a first place prize of $500 in the state competition.

This year’s essay contest asked entrants to, “Share your thoughts comparing and contrasting the human rights that young people of your age in your community might take for granted that may not be as readily available to young people in other areas of the United States or around the world.”

Students were asked to reference the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, The United States Bill of Rights or the Minnesota Human Rights Act.  The contest was open to all sixth, seventh and eighth grade students living in or going to schools in Plymouth.

The purpose of the contest is to encourage middle school students in Plymouth to think about the implications of human rights in their own lives, the lives of their family members, their community, their nation or the world.

The committee also selected three additional essays as “worthy of commendation.” Students submitting those essays were:

• Second place to Mina Yuan, seventh grader at Wayzata Central Middle School
• Third place to Emma Maki, sixth grader at
• Fourth place to Connor Aasen, eighth grader at

The is a citizen advisory group appointed by the Plymouth City Council, which meets quarterly at .

(Information provided by a city of Plymouth press release.)