By the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce

The Lakewood Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that Ruby McEwen, a 4th grade student at Emerson Elementary School, is the 2018 “Why I Love Lakewood” Essay Contest winner.

Over 200 essays were submitted by 4th graders from Lakewood City Schools, Lakewood Catholic Academy, and children who are home-schooled in the community. A panel of six judges used a rubric to assess the originality, organization, descriptive language, and grammar (including punctuation and spelling) of the essays, and the judges selected Ruby’s as best overall. Ruby loves Lakewood because of the city’s diversity, libraries, historic homes, and most of all because “My heart is in Lakewood.”

Ruby will be awarded a cash prize of $100 and will ride in the Light Up Lakewood parade before she takes the stage with Lakewood Mayor Mike Summers and Santa Claus to “flip the switch” on December 1st to turn on the lights in Downtown Lakewood during the Light Up Lakewood festivities.

Chamber Essay Winner

Ruby’s winning essay adorns the wall at the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce.

Why I Love Lakewood
By: Ruby McEwen, Emerson Elementary School

What makes a good hometown great? Beautiful parks? Great schools? People from all walks of life? Magnificent libraries? Century-old homes? How about shopping, restaurants and entertainment? Well, Lakewood has all of that, it’s my home town, and it’s where my heart is.

When I first started Emerson Elementary School in kindergarten, there were kids my age that spoke a different language. I was fascinated. I loved hearing a new language that I didn’t speak. My dad said there are 25 different languages spoken in Lakewood City Schools.

We have lots of diversity and we’ve got lots of books. We also have not one, but two libraries. When I go to our libraries, I feel transported to a magical, adventurous place, imagination comes alive and dreams come true. I leap from book to book finding scary, funny, adventurous, and magical stories.

Lastly, I’m a big fan of our city’s historic homes. Many of them are more than a 100 years old, like mine, crafted by artisan laborers. Our historic architecture is one of the reasons why our city remains popular.

What are the things that make a home? Some people say home is where the heart is. My heart is in Lakewood.

 

About the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce
Serving the greater Lakewood community for over 100 years, the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce is the leading membership organization for the advocacy and advancement of business interests. Comprised of more than 300 member businesses and individuals, the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce has a long history of advocating on behalf of businesses owners by providing group purchasing programs for products and services, advocating for changes in legislation or regulation, offering affordable marketing & promotional opportunities, and providing educational seminars, networking events, and monthly meetings for small businesses to connect with and learn from each other. (www.lakewoodchamber.org)