Military children invited to write diversity essays

By Michael D. Hernandez / El Paso Times
Posted: 01/29/2009 07:17:22 PM MST

Andress High School students make their way on campus. The El Paso Museum of History is seeking essays from area students, including Fort Bliss students, that celebrates the area's diversity. (El Paso Times file photo)

EL PASO -- Students from military families who are in grades 5-12 are being encouraged to participate in a city program that celebrates the cultural diversity in the area.

To take part in the program, military children are asked to submit essays that highlight the traditions of their family accompanied by a photograph or artwork. Twenty-five submissions will be chosen to participate in an exhibit that runs through April and May at the El Paso Museum of History.

"A lot of our diversity comes from Fort Bliss and so we want to honor that diversity and those contributions to our community," said Dawn Thurmond, a cultural programs specialist for the city's Museum and Cultural Affairs Department.

Thurmond said native El Pasoans can learn a lot from the experiences and heritage of military children.

March 13 is the deadline for submissions in the program, which is funded by a grant from the Southern Poverty Law Center.

An application that contains questions for the essay is available by contacting Dawn Thurmond at 541-4280 or via email at thurmondd1@elpasotexas.gov.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/communities/ci_11584480