Crime Watch: Miami-Dade school students win poster, essay contests

April has been the month of volunteers, therefore I want to thank all the Crime Watch friends across Miami-Dade County. They are the ones who help keep our county and neighborhoods safe using their “eyes and ears,” working with our law-enforcement partners. Just think of the thousands (yes, thousands) of volunteers we have in Miami-Dade. You truly make all the difference in the world in our community, so thank you for what you do!

The following is a list of the winners of our Youth Crime Watch of Miami-Dade County Poster & Essay contest (theme: “Values in My School’s Safety”) for the 2015-16 school year. We congratulate the winners and also thank all the schools & students who participated in the contest. These students exemplify the future of this county and we are very proud of them.

POSTER CONTEST WINNERS 2015-16

Elementary Level 1 (K-second grade)

▪ 1st place — Samuel Dieguez, kindergarten, Gloria Floyd Elementary

▪ 2nd place — Amaya Soto, kindergarten, Gloria Floyd Elementary

▪ 3rd place — Aurelia Zaffuto, first grade, Ruth K. Broad/Bay Harbor K-8 Center

Elementary Level 2 (third to fifth grades)

▪ 1st place — Isabella Pareja, fourth grade, Eugenia B. Thomas K-8 Center

▪ 2nd place — Sofia Papadopoulos, fifth grade, Ruth K. Broad/Bay Harbor K-8 Center

▪ 3rd place — Maria A. Bueno, fourth grade, Eugenia B. Thomas K-8 Center

Middle (sixth to eighth grades)

▪ 1st place — Christian Hunt, eighth grade, Jose Marti MAST 6-12 Academy

▪ 2nd place — Johany Pinedo, sixth grade, Jose Marti MAST 6-12 Academy

▪ 3rd place — Yadelis Gomez, seventh grade, Frank C. Martin K-8 Center

Senior High (9th to 12th grades)

▪ 1st place — Vanessa Tascon, ninth grade, Jose Marti MAST 6-12 Academy

▪ 2nd place — Angela Gruber, ninth grade, Barbara Goleman Senior High

▪ 3rd place — Astrid DePaz, 11th grade, Jose Marti MAST 6-12 Academy

ESSAY CONTEST WINNERS 2015-2016

Elementary Level 1 (K to second grade)

▪ 1st place — Monique Quillet, second grade, Gloria Floyd Elementary

▪ 2nd place — Deniez Ferreras, first grade, Gloria Floyd Elementary

▪ 3rd place — Allilaiza Ferreras, second grade, Gloria Floyd Elementary

Elementary Level 2 (third to fifth grades)

▪ 1st place — Ava Maule, fifth grade, Everglades K-8 Center

▪ 2nd place — Andrea Larios, fifth grade, Gloria Floyd Elementary

▪ 3rd place — Emily Franco, fifth grade, Everglades K-8 Center

Middle (sixth to eighth grades)

▪ 1st place — Kierra Kennedy, seventh grade, Jose Marti MAST 6-12 Academy

▪ 2nd place — Emanuel Rodriguez, seventh grade, Jose Marti MAST 6-12 Academy

▪ 3rd place — Tatiana Rodriguez, eighth grade, Frank C. Martin K-8 Center

Senior High (9th to 12th grades)

▪ 1st place — Huzaifa Bin Abdul-Rahman, ninth grade, Barbara Goleman Senior High

▪ 2nd place — Shirley Hernandez, 12th grade, Jose Marti MAST 6-12 Academy

▪ 3rd place — Zobia Chanda, 11th grade, Jose Marti MAST 6-12 Academy

I would also like to congratulate a couple of special people in our community: Miami-Dade Police Director Juan J. Perez and Amos Rojas Jr. of the U.S. Marshals Service Southern District, who on Tuesday will be inducted into the Miami Dade College Alumni Hall of Fame.

This story was originally published April 20, 2016 at 5:01 PM with the headline "Crime Watch: Miami-Dade school students win poster, essay contests."