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2008 The Fountainhead Essay Contest

First Place

Ryan Holley, West Burlington Arnold Jr./Sr. High School, West Burlington, IA, USA

[Read essay]

Second Place

Shea Levy, Griggs International Academy, Silver Spring, MD, USA
Kristen Liu, Warrensburg High School, Warrensburg, MO, USA
Sarah Magill, Homeschooled, Aravada, CO, USA 
Matthew Noakes, Fred C. Beyer High School, Modesto, CA, USA
Stasey Vishnevetsky, Hopkins School, New Haven, CT, USA

Third Place

Michael Bruner, Ames High School, Ames, IA, USA
Nathan Doan, Elizabethtown Area High School, Elizabethtown, PA, USA
Michael Harris, North Hollywood High School, North Hollywood, CA, USA
Yameen Huq, South Fosyth High School, Cumming, GA, USA
Jessica Hwang, Hickman High School, Columbia, MO, USA
David Kurz, Smithsburg High School, Smithsburg, MD, USA
Jade Lawrence, Fallbrook Union High School, Fallbrook, CA, USA
Molly Ma, Godwin High School, Richmond, VA, USA
Madeline Magnuson, Skyline High School, Idaho Falls, ID, USA
Raphael Pond, Westminster High School, Westminster, MD, USA

Finalists

Alexandra Allary, Kelvin High School, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
Mikiyo Aoki, Bozeman High School, Bozeman, MT, USA
Lauren Bailey, Fort Worth Country Day School, Fort Worth, TX, USA
Valerie Bank, Lowell High School, Lowell, IN, USA
Jonathan Barber, Oak Park River Forest High School, Oak Park, IL, USA
Evan Biggs, Homeschooled, Ridgefield, WA, USA
John Davis, Academic Magnet HS, North Charleston, SC, USA
Anand Divakaruni, William P. Clements High School, Sugar Land, TX, USA
Brooke Doetkott, Sibley East Senior High School, Arlington, MN, USA
Jenny Feng, Enloe High School, Raleigh, NC, USA
Graham Haviland, Nyack High School, Upper Nyack, NY, USA
Ben Henderson, Bishop O'Dowd, Oakland, CA, USA
Andrew Hendricks, Lincoln High School, Stockton, CA, USA
Lauren Herr, Mountainview High School, Bend, OR, USA
Jessica Holberg, Lansing Catholic High School, Lansing, MI, USA
Breanna Holmes, Hamilton High School, Hamilton, MT, USA
Jordan Kennedy, Cut Bank High School, Cut Bank, MT, USA
Katherine Kolodzie, Las Lomas High School, Walnut Creek, CA, USA
Jeremy Lallier, Attleboro High School, Attleboro, MA, USA
Chloe Lanzara, New Lebanon High School, New Lebanon, NY, USA
Jonathan Lee, Hunter College High School, New York, NY, USA
Jocelyn Lee, Burnaby North Secondary School, Burnaby, BC, CANADA
Daniel Leonard, Oviedo High School, Oviedo, FL, USA
Marisa Lupo, Townsend Harris High School, Flushing, NY, USA
Roxanne McKee, Phoenix High School, Phoenix, OR, USA
Jantina McMurray, George McDougall High School, Airdrie, AB, Canada
Cassandra Milani, Mansfield High School, Mansfield, MA, USA
Erikka Molenaar, Roland Michener Secondary School, South Porcupine, ON, Canada
Jordan Monge, Northwood High School, Irvine, CA, USA
Kathleen Murphy, Our Lady of Lourdes Academy, Miami, FL, USA
Blake Neff, Lincoln High School, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
Elizabeth Nitzsche, North Warren Regional High School, Blairstown, NJ, USA
Lauren O'Toole, La Costa Canyon, High School, Carlsbad, CA, USA
Appie Peterson, Governor French Academy, Belleville, IL, USA
Sarah Pizzolato, Jesse O. Sanderson High School, Raleigh, NC, USA
Lisa Saladin, Moscow Senior High School, Moscow, ID, USA
Justin Siegel, Harry D. Jacobs High School, Algonquin, IL, USA
Halley Taylor, West Branch High School, Beloit, OH, USA
Daniel Thorpe, Maggie L Governor's School, Richmond, VA, USA
Xuefei Wang, Chapel Hill High School, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Robert Henry Weaver, Allendale Columbia, Rochester, NY, USA
Jennifer Rosemarie Wiegand, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX, USA
Shannon Winters, Edmond Santa Fe High School, Edmond, OK, USA
Ji Xia, Menlo Atherton High School, Atherton, CA, USA

Semi-Finalists

Emily Anderson, Simsbury, CT, USA
Hayley Anderson, Scappoose High School, Scappoose, OR, USA
Corinne Andriola, The Athenian School, Danville, CA, USA
Christopher Apling, Janesville Consolidated High School, Janesville, IA, USA
Ryan Arnold, Southern Alamance High School, Graham, NC, USA
Sakina Attaar, West Windsor-Plainboro High School, South Princeton Junction, NJ, USA
Mary Bachynsky, Paul Kane High School, St Albert, AB, Canada
Rachel Baker, Rhinebeck High School, Rhinebeck, NY, USA
Christopher Ballard, Middletown High School, Middletown, OH, USA
Changchang Bao, John Dewey High School, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Amy Bartholomew, Elizabethtown Area High School, Elizabethtown, PA, USA
Christina Beasley, Thomas Jefferson HS for Science and Technology, Alexandria, VA, USA
Alexander Belbin, Churchill County High School, Fallon, NV, USA
Erin Bell, Foundations for the Future Charter Academy, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Sean Bender, Edmond Memorial High School, Edmond, OK, USA
Constantin Bereznitsky, Kingwood High School, Kingwood, Tx, USA
Danielle Berger, Torah High Schools of San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
David Berke, Scarsdale High School, Scarsdale, NY, USA
Nathan Berkopec, Eagan High School, Eagan MN, USA
Andrew Blaker, Heritage High School, Indianapolis, IN, USA
Rebecca Bonnarens, Prospect, KY, USA
Sam Bookhardt, Aloha High School, Beaverton, OR, USA
Lydia Bowling, Elmira High School, Elmira, OR, USA
Joshua Brocksen, Fountain Hills High School, Fountain Hills, AZ, USA
Sarah Capponi, Council Rock High School, North Newtown, PA, USA
William Carson, South Gwinnett High School, Snellville, GA, USA
Kate Carter, Iowa City West High School, Iowa City, IA, USA
Michael Casiano, Lansdowne High School, Baltimore, MD, USA
Sonya Chung, Flower Mound High School, Flower Mound, TX, USA
Hannah Clauson, A.C. Davis High School, Yakima, WA, USA
Nicholas Coish, Indian River High School, Springdale, NL, Canada
Chloe Coleman, Mount Vernon High School, Mount Vernon, OH, USA
Conisha Cooper, Glen Ridge High School, Glen Ridge, NJ, USA
Jonathon Cunha, Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School, Bridgewater, MA, USA
Linh Dang, Cranston High School, West Cranston, RI, USA
Lisa Deng, Gilbert High School, Gilbert, AZ, USA
Rut Diaz, Miami Coral Park Senior High School, Miami, FL, USA
Sean Doody, Fallston High School, Fallston, MD, USA
Paul Duffy, Homeschool, Gautier, MS, USA,
Jared Dummitt, Stuyvesant High School, New York, NY, USA
Lindsey Earles, Mesquite High School, Gilbert, AZ, USA
Chelsea Edgar, Danbury High School, Danbury, CT, USA
Danielle Egley, Ford City Jr. Sr. High School, Ford City, PA, USA
Kaitlyn Ensley, Ross Sheppard Composite High School, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Andrew Erickson, Newton High School, Newton, KS, USA
Rachel Erwin, Ingleside High School, Ingleside, TX, USA
Kayla Evans, Rio Rancho High School, Rio Rancho, NM, USA
Erika Eyking, Memorial Composite High School, Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia, Canada
Kenneth Fahrion, Northwest Guilford High School, Greensboro, NC, USA
Andrea Farinelli, La Costa Canyon High School, Carlsbad, CA, USA
Sarah Farris, Homeschool, Hendersonville, TN, USA
Jessica Fast, Homeschool, Milwaukie, OR, USA
Chris Fasulo, La Costa Canyon High School, Carlsbad, CA, USA
Chloe Ferguson, Wellesley High School, Wellesley, MA, USA
Michael Ferrara, Port Richmond High School, Staten Island, NY, USA
Nora Fiore, Long Trail School, Dorset, VT, USA
Dianna Fiorentino, Downingtown High School, West Downingtown, PA, USA
Caitlin Fitzgerald, New Hartford Senior High, New Hartford, NY, USA
James Flaim, Northern High School, Owings, MD, USA
Miriam Freeman, La Costa Canyon High School, Carlsbad, CA, USA
Rebecca Fullerton, Sachse High School, Sachse, TX, USA
Kirsten Gabbert, Flower Mound High School, Flower Mound, TX, USA
Ryan Gallagher, Xavier High School, Middletown, CT, USA
Emily Giardina, Cornwall Central High School, New Windsor, NY, USA
Taylor Glogowski, Land O' Lakes High School, Land O' Lakes, FL, USA
John Goodrich, Georgetown High School, Georgetown, TX, USA
Derek Groom, Bonita Vista High School, Chula Vista, CA, USA
Elizabeth Groth, Bloomington High School, South Bloomington, IN, USA
Lauren Hample, Lakota West High School, West Chester, OH, USA
Kayleen Hannaway, Philomath High School, Philomath, OR, USA
Ashley Hazeltine, Downingtown High School, West Downingtown, PA, USA
Shenin Headland, Ford City Jr. Sr. High School, Ford City, PA, USA
Tate Hewitt, Shore Regional High School, West Long Branch, NJ, USA
Justin Hinkleu, Shorewood High School, Shoreline, WA, USA
Adric Holmes, Marshall High School, Marshall, WI, USA
Joby Jacob, Alexander Hamilton High School, Elmsford, NY, USA
Jacqueline Jacubiec, Academy of the Holy Name, Tampa, FL, USA
Kayla Joachim, Owatonna High School, Owatonna, MN, USA
Joanna Johnson, Hartford High School, White River Jct., VT, USA
Caleb Jones, Jackson Senior High School, Jackson, MO, USA
Emily Jorgensen, Overhills High School, Spring Lake, NC, USA
Marie-Christine Jutras, Strathcona Christian Academy Secondary, Sherwood Park, AB, Canada
Jenny Kammerer, Downingtown High School, West Downingtown, PA, USA
Claire Kannapell, Gainesville High School, Gainesville, GA, USA
Aaron Karp, North Brookfield High School, North Brookfield, MA, USA
Alana Khayat, Cardinal Carter Secondary School, Leamington, Ontario, Canada
Kayla Kisenwether, Hazleton Area High School, Hazleton, PA, USA
Andrew Ladenheim, Hallmark Charter School, Sanger, CA, USA
Casey Landey, Hidden Valley High School, Roanoke, VA, USA
A.J. LaPorta, Toledo School for the Arts, Toledo, OH, USA
Andrew Larkin, McCallie School, Chattanooga, TN, USA
Courtney Lawshe, Shelby County High School, Columbiana, AL, USA
Breanna Lebsack, Canyon Springs High School, North Las Vegas, NV, USA
Daye Lee, Valencia High School, Placentia, CA, USA
Cory Limberger, Waterville Senior High School, Waterville, ME, USA
Michael Little, St. Francis Xavier High School, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Yongjia Liu, Mayfield High School, Mayfield Village, OH, USA
Julia Lyon, Morrilton High School, Morrilton, AR, USA
Nikky Mackey, Oologah High School, Oologah, OK, USA
Johanni Martin, Northland High School, Columbus, OH, USA
Molly McCue, Cornwall Central High School, New Windsor, NY, USA
Glenn McLaurin, Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School, Raleigh, NC, USA
Tara McMillan, Mark R. Isfeld Secondary School, Courtenay, BC, Canada
Jola Mecani, R.H.King Academy, Toronto, ON, Canada
Paige Meyers, Dublin Coffman High School, Dublin, OH, USA
Philip Moccio, Cornwall Central High School, New Windsor, NY, USA
Keely Moloney, Talawanda High School, Oxford, OH, USA
Brendan Moore, Toll Gate High School, Warwick, RI, USA
Yaniv Nahon, RASG Hebrew Academy, Miami, Beach, FL, USA
Kevin Noonan, Mohonasen High School, Rotterdam, NY, USA
Jeffrey Daniel O'Brien, Lincoln Way East High School, Frankfort, IL, USA
Rebekah Oakes, Conneaut High School, Conneaut, OH, USA
Heather Odom, Murphy High School, Mobile, AL, USA
Kayla Oelhafen, Oostburg High School, Oostburg, WI, USA
Meryn Oswald, Wilson Senior High School, West Lawn, PA, USA
Conner Pate, St. Mark's School of Texas, Dallas, TX, USA
Harsha Patel, Sylvania Northview, Sylvania, OH, USA
Krista Perry, Esperanza High School, Anaheim, CA, USA
Taylere Peterson, Kingsway Regional High School, Woolwich, NJ, USA
Milica Petrovic, Wyoming High School, Cincinnati, OH, USA
Maya Phillips, Kellenberg Memorial High School, Uniondale, NY, USA
David Plotkin, Palo Alto Senior High School, Palo Alto, CA, USA
Olivia Pourzia, Oak Park High School, Oak Park, CA, USA
Sami Rahmani, Lawrence Central High School, Indianapolis, IN, USA
Jessica Rahter, Egg Harbor Township High School, Egg Harbor Township, NJ, USA
Sierra Ray, Columbus High School, Columbus, GA, USA
Conor Reynolds, Penfield High School, Penfield, NY, United States
Rachel Reynolds, Cambridge Springs High School, Cambridge Springs, PA, USA
Justin Robey, First Flight high School, Kill Devil Hills, NC, USA
Nelsie Robinson, Nature Coast Technical High School, Brooksville, FL, USA
Sarah Rowe, Mount Vernon High School, Mount Vernon, OH, USA
Annemarie Ryu, Mayo High School, Rochester, MN, USA
Ian Saeger, Dominion High School, Sterling, VA, USA
Emma Salo, Prospect High School, Saratoga, CA, USA
Yevgen Sautin, Eastside High School, Gainesville, FL, USA
Otto Schrang, Murphy High School, Mobile, AL, USA
James Schultz, Natomas Charter Performing and Fine Arts Academy, Sacramento, CA, USA
Michael Sears, Findlay High School, Findlay, OH, USA
Catherine Seitz, BF Terry High School, Rosenberg, TX, USA
Jared Shadish, Downington High School West, Downington, PA, USA
Daniel Shedd, Scottsbluff High School, Scottsbluff, NE, USA
Emily Sheeks, Hamilton High School, Sussex, WI, USA
Dennis Shiraev, James W. Robinson Jr. Secondary School, Fairfax, VA, USA
Bianca Silfa, Lake Wales High School, Lake Wales, FL, USA
Mason Smith, Mount Vernon High School, Mount Vernon, OH, USA
Meghan Sosnowski, Point Pleasant Beach High School, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ, USA
Sarah Sprague, Marengo Community High School, Marengo, IL, USA
Alexandra Staeben, H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program, Arlington, VA, USA
Georgia Stasinopoulos, Stuyvesant High School, New York, NY, USA
Amelia Steelman, Ocean Township High School, Oakhurst, NJ, USA
Jessica Strokus, Hidden Valley High School, Roanoke, VA, USA
Win Suen, Paxon School for Advanced Studies, Jacksonville, FL, USA
Dylan Summers, Hidden Valley High School, Roanoke, VA, USA
Margaret Tallmadge, Elmira High School, Elmira, OR, USA
Vanessa Torrecillas, Lake Havasu High School, Lake Havasu City, AZ, USA
Lillian Tseng, Texas Tech University High School, Lubbock, TX, USA
Shaina Turner, Harry D Jacobs High School, Algonquin, IL, USA
Alexandre Urben, Safety Harbor, FL, USA
Stephanie Vance, Hidden Valley High School, Roanoke, VA, USA
Emily VanKirk, Homeschool, Graford, TX, USA
Jeremy Wachter, Homeschool, Tarpon Springs, FL, USA
Raymond Walter, Mountain Home High School, Mountain Home, AR, USA
Chelsea Weber, Louisville High School, Woodland Hills, CA, USA
Ryan Weeks, Harker Heights High School, Harker Heights, TX, USA
Nicole Westergaard, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, IA, USA
Dan Whiteman, Downingtown High School, West Downingtown, PA, USA
Kirby Ann Witte, Carlsbad High School, Carlsbad NM, USA
Aaron Wolfe, West Branch High School, Beloit, OH, USA
Brandon Wright, Port Huron High School, Port Huron, MI, US
Mary Wulzen, Scappoose High School, Scappoose, OR, USA
Emily Zhang, Wayland High School, Wayland, MA, USA
Zhan Zhao, Iowa City West High School, Iowa City, IA, USA
Alex Zorychta, Robinson Secondary, Fairfax, VA, USA
Anna Zuckerman, Millburn High School, Millburn, NJ, USA