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2009 The Fountainhead Essay Contest

First Place

Dinah DeWald, Arizona School for the Arts, Phoenix, AZ, USA

[Read essay]

Second Place

Megan Arkenberg, Germantown High School, Germantown, WI, USA
Daniel Moller, Stelly'S Secondary School, Saanichton, BC, Canada
Douglas Rintoul, University High School, Orlando, FL, USA
Remy Samuels, Central Bucks High School South, Warrington, PA, USA
Chi Song, Troy High School, Troy, MI, USA

Third Place

Ivy Buchelli, Saint Francis Preparatory School, Fresh Meadows, NY, USA
Sydney Duff, Chatham Kent Secondary School, Chatham, ON, Canada
Kami Finkel, Peachtree Ridge High School, Suwanee, GA, USA
Brittni Graner, Uniontown High School, Uniontown, PA, USA
Allison Har-Zvi, Glen Rock High School, Glen Rock, NJ, USA
Andrea Hsueh, Santa Teresa High School, San Jose, CA, USA
Cailin Lowry, Shanghai American School, Shanghai, China
Matthew Noakes, Fred C. Beyer High School, Modesto, CA, USA
Sarah Ruggiero, Trinity High School, Manchester, NH, USA
Emily Zhang, Wayland High School, Wayland, MA, USA

Finalists

Hannah Adams, Williamston High School, Williamston , MI, USA
Christopher Anderson, Franklin High School, Franklin, MA, USA
Natasha Belknap, Flower Mound High School, Flower Mound, TX, USA
Madeline Bertani, Rockwood Summit High School, Fenton, MO, USA
Julia Blanchard, Twinsburg High School, Twinsburg, OH, USA
Allison Blisard, Oxford Area High School, Oxford, PA, USA
Michael Bouterse, Gig Harbor High School, Gig Harbor, WA, USA
Jessica Cabe, Harlem High School, Machesney Park, IL, USA
Kennedy Cooke-Garza, Rockdale High School, Rockdale, TX, USA
Dorsey Craft, Orangeburg Preparatory, Orangeburg , SC, USA
Niamh Curran, De La Salle College "Oaklands", Toronto, ON, Canada
Genia  Denissova, Smoky Hill High School, Aurora, CO, USA
Jesse Dubois, Corry Area Middle High School, Corry, PA, USA
Jordyn Earnest, Monticello High Shcool, Monticello, AR, USA
Zachary Eldredge, Bristow High School, Bristow, OK, USA
Timothy Gahr, Cedar Cliff High School, Camp Hill, PA, USA
Gina Gresko, Pine Creek High School, Colorado Springs, CO, USA
Christopher Griffin, Redding Christian High School, Redding, CA, USA
Alison Griswold, Wellesley High School, Wellesley, MA, USA
Abigail Hall, Springfield Township High School, Erdenheim, PA, USA
Corryn Hall, Poteau High School, Poteau, OK, USA
Brianna Holden, Incarnate Word Academy, Corpus Christi, TX, USA
Linda Honaker, Homeschool, Bonita, CA, USA
Hanna Hurr, St. Margaret'S Episcopal School, San Juan Capistrano, CA, USA
Stephanie Keating, El Modena High School, Orange, CA, USA
Amber Khan, Plano West Senior High School, Plano, TX, USA
Cody Knapp, Thomas County Central High School, Thomasville, GA, USA
Jordan Koluch, Chandler High School, Chandler, AZ, USA
Patrick Lauppe, Golden Valley High School, Merced, CA, USA
Daniel Mane, High Technology High School, Lincroft, NJ, USA
Edward McCarthy, La Costa Canyon High School, Carlsbad, CA, USA
Rachel  Mobley, Gray Stone Day School, Misenheimer, NC, USA
Arjun Mody, The Harker School, San Jose, CA, USA
Amanda Olson, Mankato West High School, Mankato, MN, USA
Pavel Panchekha, Academy For The Advancement Of Science And Technology, Hackensack, NJ, USA
Nishaad Rao, The Galaxy International School, Rajkot, GUJARAT, India
Mustafa Saifuddin, George Bush High School, Richmond, TX, USA
Alissa Sexton, Har-Ber High School, Springdale, AR, USA
Nasreen Shad, South Plantation High School,  Plantation, FL, USA
Cristine Sidela, San Marcos High School, San Marcos, CA, USA
Sheila Smith, Tamarac High School, Troy, NY, USA
Sarah Watterson, Homeschool, Richmond, VA, USA
Shannon  Wongvibulsin , Trabuco Hills High School , Mission Viejo , CA, USA
Daniel Xu, Farragut High School, Knoxville, TN, USA
Kelly Young, Downingtown West High School, Downingtown, PA, USA

Semi-Finalists

Christopher Accardo, Ephrata High School, Ephrata, PA, USA
Beth Adamowicz, Harry Ainlay High School, Edmonton, AL, Canada
Jessica Adams, Fairfield Community High School, Fairfield, IL, USA
Whitney Allen, Covington Community High School, Covington, IN, USA
Grace Atkins, Lasalle-Peru Township High School, LaSalle, IL, USA
Ashley Balcerzak, Fountain Hills High School, Fountain Hills, AX, USA
Anna Band, Mcdonogh School, Owings Mills, MD, USA
Brittany Bartos, Georgetown High School, Georgetown, TX, USA
Kunal Basu-Dutta, Columbus High School, Columbus, GA, USA
Rory Bebee, Plainfield Central High School, Plainfield, IL, USA
Elizabeth Bell, Mount Vernon Hihg School, Mount Vernon, OH, USA
Alexander Bertoloni Meli, Bloomington High School South, Bloomington, IN, USA
Alicia Bierstedt, Lincoln High School, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
Alexandra Boland, Eagan High School, Eagan, MN, USA
Justin Boogaard, Bonita Vista High School, Chula Vista, CA, USA
Hannah Breece, Florence High School, Florence, CO, USA
Rebecca Burkholder, Ephrata High School, Ephrata, PA, USA
Adam Burks, Leicester High School, Leicester, MA, USA
Julia Carpenter, Savannah Christian Preparatory School, Savannah, GA, USA
Madeleine Cassier, Midlothian High School, Midlothian, VA, USA
Betsy Castro, South Plantation High School,  Plantation, FL, USA
Matthew Chalkley, Haddonfield Memorial High School, Haddonfield, NJ, USA
Aubri Charnigo, Wilson High School, West Lawn , PA, USA
Rachel Chavez, Shore Regional High School, West Long Branch, NJ, USA
Wendy Chen, Pymble Ladies College, Pymble, NSW, Australia
Autumn Christoforo, Woodland Regional High School (Region 16), Beacon Falls, CT, USA
Aurelien Chu, Henry M. Gunn High School, Palo Alto, CA, USA
Miranda Colasante, Cardinal O'Hara High School, Springfield, PA, USA
Tristan Copeland, Lake Havasu High School, Lake Havasu City, AZ, USA
Charles Corbett, Barrington High School, Barrington, IL, USA
Juliana Cotto, SABIS International Charter School, Springfield, MA, USA
Rachel Cox, Corry Area Middle High School, Corry, PA,
Tina Cronauer, Tehachapi High School, Tehachapi, CA, USA
Ashlie Dile, Waubonsie Valley High School, Aurora, IL, USA
Michelle Dimino, Wellington C. Mepham High School, North Bellmore, NY, USA
Anand Divakaruni, William P. Clements High School, Sugar Land, TX, USA
Kathryn Driest, North Mecklenburg High School, Huntersville, NC, USA
Kenosha Drucker, Fountain Hills High School, Fountain Hills, AZ, USA
Charles Eaton, Loma Linda Academy, Loma Linda, CA, USA
Mikaela Ediger, Harry Ainlay High School, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Eric Fairchild, Corry Area Middle High School, Corry, PA,
Erin Farley, Longwood High School,  Middle Island, NY, USA
Maream Fosshat, Lake Travis High School, Austin, TX, USA
Keegan Freiburger, Batavia Sr High School, Batavia, IL, USA
Patrick Fusaro, Bensalem High School, Bensalem, PA, USA
Michelle Gabossi, Dakota Ridge High School, Littleton, CO, USA
Caleb Galoozis, Bloomington High School South, Bloomington, IN, USA
Hannah Ginther, Colfax-Mingo High School, Colfax, IA, USA
Malarie Gokey, South Jefferson Central School, Adams, NY, USA
Will Gorman, St. Pius X High School, Kansas City, MO, USA
Jodie  Grossenbach, Davis High School, Kaysville , UT, USA
Stephen Grugett, Marist School, Atlanta, GA, USA
Olivia Guilbert, SABIS International Charter School, Springfield, MA, USA
Sameer Gupta, Bonita Vista High School, Chula Vista, CA, USA
Katherine Haring, Bellaire High School, Bellaire, OH, USA
Mike Hector, H.D. Jacobs High School, Algonquin, IL, USA
Edward Hedke, Manhattan High School, Manhattan, KS, USA
Jonathan Heiden, Paul D. Schreiber High School, Port Washington, NY, USA
Patrick Henry, Devon Preparatory School,  Devon, PA, USA
Jonathan  Hernandez, Cornwall Central High School, New Windsor, NY, USA
Kassandra Hickman, Southmont High School,  Crawfordsville, IN, USA
Britt Hockenberry, Midlothian High School, Midlothian, VA, USA
Kathryn Hogg, Southwest High School, Ft. Worth, TX, USA
Drew Hoover, Hidden Valley High School, Roanoke, VA, USA
Shane Howard, Devon Preparatory School, Devon, PA, USA
Nicolae Iftimia, Chelmsford High School, North Chelmsford, MA, USA
Grace Insogna, The Long Trail School, Dorset, VT, USA
Nigel  Isom, Memphis University School, Memphis, TN, USA
Nathan Jameson, Mesquite High School, Gilbert, AZ, USA
Cody Johnson, Oologah-Talala High School, , OK, USA
Andrew Jury, La Costa Canyon High School, Carlsbad, CA, USA
Kimberly Kaufhold, Centerville High School, Centerville, OH, USA
Melissa Kent, Vermilion High School, Vermilion, OH, USA
Stacy Kolcum, Chardon High School, Chardon, OH, USA
Megan Koth, Cactus Shadows High School, Scottsdale, AZ, USA
Sara Ku, Academy of the Holy Names, Tampa, FL, USA
Kailin Kuo, Piedmont High School, Piedmont, CA, USA
Amanda Lack, Berean Christian High School, Walnut Creek, CA, USA
Angelica Lai, Edward W. Clark High School, Las Vegas, NV, USA
Dylan Lancaster, Winter Springs High School, Winter Springs, FL, USA
Steven Langton, Oakville Senior High School, Oakville, MO, USA
Aidan Lawrence, Northeast High School, Oakland Park, FL, USA
Rachel  Lazar, Lincoln Park High School, Chicago, IL, USA
Brianna Leddy, Chaminade Julienne Catholic High School, Dayton, OH, USA
Branden Lewiston, Indianola High School, Indianola, IA, USA
Karen  Lin, Plano West Senior High School, Plano , TX, USA
Ari Lipsitz, Charlotte Country Day School, Charlotte, NC, USA
Lindsay Logie, Millwood High School, Sackville, NS, Canada
Kevin Louth, Ponchatoula High School,  Ponchatoula, LA, USA
Corinne Lusher, The College Preparatory School, Oakland, CA, USA
Rebekah Lynn, Cedar Creek Christian Academy, Biscoe, NC, USA
Emily MacLean, Downingtown East High School, Exton, PA, USA
Jessica Macy, Olathe Northwest High School, Olathe, KS, USA
Allison  Malecha, Blake School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
Chris Martin, Pueblo Technical Academy, Pueblo, CO, USA
Hector Martinez, McKay High School, Salem, OR, USA
Matthew Mazewski, West Morris Central High School, Chester, NJ, USA
Robert Mcbeath, Batavia High School , Batavia, IL, USA
Connor McLaughlin, McKay High School, Salem, OR, USA
Logan Metcalf-Kelly, Rockwall High School, Rockwall, TX,
Anastasia Miller, Stephen F. Austin High School, Austin, TX, USA
Kelsey Miller, Shorewood High School, Shorewood, WI, USA
Charlotte Mitchell, Hastings High School, Hastings On Hudson, NY, USA
T. Graham Morrow, Kaplan College Preparatory School, Hollywood, FL, USA
Karen Moxcey, Poudre High School, Fort Collins, CO, USA
Eric Moyer, Kettering Fairmont, Kettering, OH, USA
Kenneth Mueller, South Newton High School, Kentland, IN, USA
Vinodh Muthiah, Appleton East High School, Appleton , WI, USA
Laura Nash, Bonney Lake High School, Bonney Lake, WA, USA
Jessica Nicholas, Orange High School, Orange, CA, USA
Andrew Orr, Shaler Area High School, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Zacharey Owens, Westerville Central High School, Westerville, OH, USA
Amelia Parenteau, Norwich Free Academy, Norwich , CT, USA
Dana Patrick, Highland High School, Sparta, OH, USA
Manika Paul, Granada High School, Livermore, CA, USA
Kaitlin Phillips, North East High School, North East, PA, USA
Jason Polder, Findlay High School, Findlay, OH, USA
Catie  Prechtel, Phoenix High School, Phoenix, OR, USA
Ambika  Rao, Munster High School, Munster, IN, USA
Neha Rao, Montgomery High School, Skillman, NJ, USA
Joy Risner, St. Joseph Central Catholic High School, Fremont, OH, USA
Eric Robinson, Landstown High School, Virginia Beach, VA, USA
Melissa  Rockwerk, Dreyfoos School Of The Arts, West Palm Beach, FL, USA
Matthew Romeo, Midlothian High School, Midlothian, VA, USA
Rebecca Rosenberg, Toll Gate High School, Warwick, RI, USA
Sabrina Rosenthal, Abraham Joshua Heschel High School, New York, N.Y., USA
Vincent Sayseng, Iona Preparatory School, New Rochelle, NY, USA
Matt Schwartz, Land O' Lakes High School, Land O' Lakes, FL, USA
Mary Semon, Har-Ber High School, Springdale, AR, USA
Nonie Sethi, West Windsor Plainsboro High School South, Princeton Jct, NJ, USA
Alexandra Katherine Sharp, Ponchatoula High School,  Ponchatoula, LA, USA
Nader Shihada, Fairview High School, Fairview Park, OH, USA
Megan  Shoemate, Northern Valley Regional High School Old Tappan, Old Tappan, NJ, USA
Elyan Shor, Bonita Vista High School, Chula Vista, CA, USA
Patrick Short, Jesse O. Sanderson High School, Raleigh, NC, USA
Sushmita Sircar, Convent Of Jesus And Mary, New Delhi, DELHI, India
Carol Skelton, Thunderridge High School, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
Nicole Sloan, Savannah High School, Savannah, MO, USA
Shannon Snyder, Staunton River High School, Moneta, VA, USA
Brittni Straseske, Horicon High School, Horicon, WI, USA
Katie Sumner, Cannon School, Concord, NC, USA
Xi (David) Sun, Mark Keppel High School, Alhambra, CA, USA
Sharon Sun, Bellaire High School, Bellaire, TX, USA
Visakha Suresh, Plano West Senior High School, Plano, TX, USA
Katherine Swider, West Forsyth High School, Clemmons, NC, USA
Aidan Tam, Halifax Grammar School, Halifax, NS, Canada
Miranda Thomas, Northville High School, Northville, MI, USA
Benjamin Todd, Henry M. Jackson High School, Mill Creek, WA, USA
Katie Todd, Montville High School, Oakdale, CT, USA
Nikayla Towne-Relyea, Mayfield High School, Mayfield, NY, USA
Crystal Trejo, Sahuaro, Tucson, AZ, USA
Nathan Usevitch, Mesquite High School, Gilbert, AZ, USA
Cristy Vaughn, Mesquite High School, Gilbert, AZ, USA
Maria Velichko, Fieldstone Day School, Toronto, ON, Canada
Abigail Wagner, Lahser High School, Bloomfield Hills, MI, USA
John Wagner, Bloomington High School South, Bloomington, IN, USA
Simcha Walfish, Yitzhak Rabin High School, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Kirby Walls, Pueblo Technical Academy, Pueblo, CO, USA
Kimberly We, Archbishop Molloy High School, Briarwood, NY, USA
Alexandra Weaver, St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA
Joseph Wegener, Brockton High School, Brockton, MA, USA
Nick Weiner, La Costa Canyon High School, Carlsbad, CA, USA
Melanie Westin, Placer High School, Auburn, CA, USA
Megan Wiggins, Ponchatoula High School,  Ponchatoula, LA, USA
David Williams, Hidden Valley High School, Roanoke, VA, USA
Devin Williams, Georgetown High School, Georgetown, TX, USA
Catherine Wooley, Marian Highschool, Mishawaka, IN, USA
Kate Wymbs, Southern Regional High School, Manahawkin, NJ, USA
Morgan Wynnes, Lester B. Pearson High School, Burlington, ON, Canada
Alex Yahanda, Canterbury High School, Fort Wayne, IN, USA
Afanasiy Yermakov, High Technology High School, Lincroft, NJ, USA
Justin  Yoo, Santa Monica High School, Santa Monica, CA, USA
Rhiannon Youngbauer, Penns Valley Area High School, Spring Mills, PA, USA
Laurence Zhu, Wellesley High School, Wellesley, MA, USA
Emily  Zwart, Cornwall Central High School, New Windsor, NY, USA