Miller Place School District is thrilled to announce the success of two students—James McCarthy and Kylie Mistretta—who were named finalists in the 2018 Ayn Rand Essay Contest. Finalist James and Semi-finalist Kylie each submitted essays through their English Honors Class. Mr. Zeltman, English Honors teacher at MPHS, was overjoyed to discover that Kylie and James were both selected as finalists.
“Every day our students surprise us with their incredible talent. James and Kylie are two truly talented scholars,” said Dr. Marianne Cartisano, superintendent of the Miller Place School District. “They truly represent what the District strives to emulate day in and day out, working tirelessly to prove their ability not only to themselves but to their peers and community.”
Aside from his passion for writing, Jake enjoys learning about history and has plans to continue onto higher education after high school, majoring in journalism. Outside of school, James can be found fencing.
Kylie has always had a passion for reading as well as writing. She enjoys reading adventure stories the most. Kylie entered a poetry contest in this year’s English class, and recently found out that she is being published in Creative Communications Magazine. Aside from her schoolwork, she is in the Miller Place High School Service Club and enjoys archery as a hobby. Kylie has been on the Varsity Soccer Team for two years and is also involved with the Stony Brook Travel Team.
For over 30 years, the Ayn Rand Institute has held essay contests for students all over the world. The contest is in honor of writer and philosopher Ayn Rand, who defected from Russia during the Communist Era. The 2018 Ayn Rand Essay Contest received over a thousand student entries world-wide.
For more information about the Miller Place School District, please visit the District’s website at www.millerplace.k12.ny.us.