Wetumpka Elementary School fourth-grader Marcellus Davis recently won the Elmore County African-American Heritage Association (ECAAHA) MLK Essay Contest.
He was awarded $100 for his efforts during a presentation at Wetumpka Elementary on Nov. 12.
Davis said it was not just the prize money that led him to write the winning essay.
“I’m really interested in Martin Luther King and black history,” Davis said. “My family thinks I’m a good writer so they encouraged me to write. They were really proud of me when I won.”
The presentation at the school was a surprise. Davis said he did not know he had won.
He will have the chance to share his essay in the coming months as he will read it Jan. 20 during church service at Rodgers Chapel AME Zion Church, noon Feb. 6 during a WAKA news broadcast and during the Wetumpka Black History program Feb. 16 at New Beginning Holiness Church.
Davis said during his studies of King he learned some valuable lessons.
“He didn’t give up even though people did bad stuff to him,” Davis said. “Every time I look him up, I learn something new like never to give up.”
As for the $100 prize, Davis said he plans to spend it on video games.
Davis is a student in Kim Deem’s class.
