Essay Winners Leave for DC Trip

The two winners of the “Do The Write Thing” essay contest have packed their bags and are ready to head to Washington DC.

Laila Houston and Ben Pledger will represent Madison County during their action packed, all expenses paid, four-day trip.

They will visit Capitol Hill, the Supreme Court and even get their essays published at the Library of Congress.

They will meet other essay winners from around the country and hear their experiences and solutions to ending youth violence.

Both Houston and Pledger wrote in their essay that the solution is not keeping quiet about it.

"You need to speak out because if you don’t speak out nobody will know that you’re hurting, have been abused, violence and everything, and they can’t do anything for you," said Houston.

"Speaking out for other kids around you. If you see something happen you don’t need to just keep it bottled up, you need to tell somebody," said Pledger.

They say they hope to learn from other essay winners and share more solutions to ending youth violence when they come back.

City Councilman Ernest Brooks II says he is excited to see what the students gain from this experience.