Over 1,450 students participated in this year’s contest from 27 states. From those essays, teachers submitted their top selections resulting in 582 entries. Winning essays came from students in Oklahoma.
Each winner will receive a cash prize and have the opportunity to be recognized at a ceremony at the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum in January.
Initiated in 2002, the annual Essay Contest has become a cornerstone of the Memorial’s educational programs. In 2005, the Essay Contest expanded from a state contest to a national one, allowing more students to use this contest as a vehicle for sharing their rich perspectives and engaging in the lessons of the Memorial.
The April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was a terrible tragedy, killing 168 innocent people. Service, Honor and Kindness defined the response to this heartbreaking event, called the Oklahoma Standard. The 2015 Student Essay Contest used text passages to highlight how communities across the nation commit acts of Service, Honor and Kindness, the American Standard, every day in response to violence, terrorism and other senseless tragedies.
Essay Quotes
Grades 5 through 8
“…and we’ve asked all of our players and all of our staff when they arrive, if they’re new, to come through the Museum and Memorial, to come in contact with the stories, with the recovery efforts, with the optimism and the compassion, and to try to connect the dots a little bit about why people are so passionate about Oklahoma and Oklahoma City.” –Sam Presti, Oklahoma City Thunder General Manager
Winners 5th/6th
| 1st | Claire Lyons | 6th | St. Elizabeth Ann Seton | Edmond, OK |
| 2nd | Carson Crull | 6th | Sequoyah Middle School | Edmond, OK |
| 3rd | Abby Maupin | 6th | St. Elizabeth Ann Seton | Edmond, OK |
Winners 7th/8th
| 1st | Tyler Graham | 7th | Sequoyah Middle School | Edmond, OK |
| 2nd | Grayson Russell | 8th | Oakdale Middle School | Edmond, OK |
| 3rd | Audrey O’Rear | 7th | Sequoyah Middle School | Edmond, OK |
Click each name to see their winning essay.
Grades 9 through 12
“In the minutes following the attack, the people of Oklahoma City did something the rest of us, watching from afar, found hard to fathom. You ran toward darkness. You ran toward pain. You ran toward danger and destruction.” –James Comey, FBI Director
Winners 9th/10th
| 1st | Ashlyn Morris | 10th | Chickasha High School | Chickasha, OK |
| 2nd | Phillip Shell | 10th | Lawton High School | Lawton, OK |
| 3rd | Abeer Shahid | 10th | Lawton High School | Lawton, OK |
Winners 11th/12th
| 1st | Akansha Chandrasekar | 11th | OK School of Science and Mathematics | Oklahoma City, OK |
| 2nd | Emily Thomas | 11th | Chickasha High School | Chickasha, OK |
| 3rd | John Nguyen | 11th | OK School of Science and Mathematics | Oklahoma City, OK |
Click each name to see their winning essay.
We are grateful to Allegiance Credit Union for sponsoring this contest, and proud of our continued partnership. The Federal Employees Credit Union, which changed its name to Allegiance Credit Union in 2003, was located on the third floor of the Murrah Building and lost 18 of its 33 employees in the bombing. Six of the surviving employees were seriously injured. With the assistance of other credit unions and volunteers, they were able to reopen within 48 hours at a temporary site furnished by Tinker Federal Credit Union. “The legacy of FECU, the restoration, and continued growth as Allegiance Credit Union makes members and employees alike, proud to be credit union people,” said Lynette Leonard, Allegiance Credit Union President/CEO.