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SILVAR recognizes HomeWords™ Essay Contest winners


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Wednesday, June 7, 2006

The winners of the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) "What is your American Dream?" HomeWords™  Essay Contest were recognized at the SILVAR office in Cupertino on Monday, June 5. SILVAR President John Tripp welcomed the students, their parents and teachers and presented them with their cash awards and certificates.

SILVAR provided the cash awards and sponsored the "What is your American Dream?" HomeWords™ Essay Contest in partnership with the California Association of REALTORS® (C.A.R.) and the San Jose Mercury News as part of the 2006 HomeWords™ program. In addition, the teachers of prize winners received cash awards.

The winners in the seventh and eighth grade category of the essay contest are all from St. Cyprian School. Joy Young of Sunnyvale, an eighth grader, received the first prize and a cash award of $450. Michelle Temple of Saratoga, an eighth grader, received the second prize and $250. St. Cyprian teacher Mrs. Gloria Miranda received $250, since both Young and Temple are her students. Joy's sister, Mary Young, a seventh grader, received the third prize and $150. Mary Young's teacher, Mrs. Denise Brady, was awarded $100.

In the high school category, Rachel Moll of Los Altos, a ninth grader at Homestead High School, received $500 for placing first. Her teacher, Mr. Bo Cheli, received $150. Tina Hsu of Los Altos, an 11th grader at Mountain View High School, was second place and received $300. Daniel Francis Sumulong, Jr. of Mountain View, also an 11th grader at Mountain View High School, received the third prize of $150. Mountain View High School teacher Ms. Mary-Kaye Huizing, received $200, since both Hsu and Sumulong are her students.

In her first place essay in the 7th and 8th grade category, Joy Young wrote about the American Dream that lives in the hearts and minds of citizens and immigrants, who "unite in hoping to make a steady income and live in peace" in a home where they "can feel secure, comfortable and a sense of belonging all at once."

In her essay entitled, "A Place to Call My Own," Rachel Moll, the top winner in the high school category, wrote, "Having a place to call my own is my dream. Being the oldest of seven children, peace and privacy is a rarity, but I still have my American Dream." She related how her parents bought their first home and detailed her own plans to achieve her dream, which starts by saving now. She wrote, "Exactly 10 years from now I see myself just out of graduate school and a newlywed. Then it's time to get a job and continue putting away money for a house. Nothing fancy, just a place to come home to and feel safe and secure."

Tripp and Silicon Valley Association of Realtors® CEO Janet Case congratulated the students and said, "SILVAR believes strongly in the American Dream program. The essay contest is one way to make sure the message gets out to people that it is the goal of the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors® to help everybody achieve the dream of buying their own home."

Case added, "It was fascinating to read each essay because the American Dream is interpreted in many different ways."

Parents and teachers thanked SILVAR for sponsoring the contest and donating the cash prizes for the contest. They noted, the essay made the students think and helped them develop their writing skills. They said they wished more essay contests were available for students. The theme of the essay, they added, was especially interesting.

"The American Dream translates into something meaningful. It's the contest that makes it worth telling," one parent remarked.

HomeWords ™ is a newspaper-based educational program created by the Los Angeles Times and sponsored by C.A.R. and Fannie Mae®. SILVAR is a HomeWords ™ regional sponsor. This sponsorship provides classroom sets of newspapers once a week for several weeks to participating teachers and students to use in their lessons. As part of the HomeWords™ curriculum, students consider the differences between what they want and what they need, particularly with respect to buying, selling, or renting a home; understand how location plays a part in the cost of a home; learn how their behavior with money could affect their lifestyles and ability to become homeowners in the years to come; and learn about the choices and trade-offs that are made when cities try to meet housing objectives while addressing concerns about growth. The curriculum has been developed to incorporate language arts skills in line with California's educational standards.

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The Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) is a professional trade organization representing over 4,000 REALTORS® and Affiliate members engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay. SILVAR promotes the highest ethical standards of real estate practice, serves as an advocate for homeownership and homeowners, and represents the interests of property owners in Silicon Valley.

The term "REALTOR®" is a registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and who subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.

For further information, please contact Rose Meily at SILVAR Public Affairs, email , or phone (408) 200-0109.

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