Union City, NJ, February 18, 2011 - Union City Mayor Brian Stack joined Cablevision at Union Hill Middle School to recognize Chelsea Frias, the 1st place middle school winner of Power to Learn's 3rd annual "Hispanic Heritage Month" essay contest, and Kevin Rojas, the 2nd place middle school winner, both of whom are students in teacher Kerrie Mione's class. Also in attendance at the event were Union Hill Middle School Principal Victoria Dickson, Save Latin America Executive Director Johnny Torres, and other officials. With 400 of their classmates gathered in the gym for the assembly, both Kevin and Chelsea read their winning essays and were presented with their awards - an Apple iPad to Chelsea and a laptop computer to Kevin - by Cablevision representatives. Additionally, a $1,000 donation was made by Cablevision in honor of both winners to Save Latin America, a charity and civic organization, located in Union City, providing services and easy access to information for Hispanics of all ages in the fields of health, education, economic and business development, as well as government and political awareness.
Video of Event (02:44 mins)In celebration of "Hispanic Heritage Month," Cablevision's Power to Learn and Olympusat, Inc. sponsored the essay contest for both middle-school high-school students. This year's topic was The Hispanic Experience in New York. Students were asked to describe someone or something that they believe has had a vital role in shaping the Hispanic experience in the greater New York area and how their own life in the greater New York area has been shaped and influenced by Hispanic people, culture and language. Other prizes included a $5,000 savings bond and a Netbook. Olympusat, Inc. is the provider of such Spanish language channels as Latele Novela Network, TV Chile, Momentum, ¡Sorpresa! and La Familia Cosmovisión, all available on iO TV® as part of the iO en espanol programming service.
"I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the students read their essays and congratulate both of them on winning this contest that pays tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our society," said Mayor Stack. "I applaud Cablevision for providing this terrific opportunity to high school and middle school students in the tri-state area."