One of the highest honors someone can achieve in life is to be inducted into the hall of fame.
Whether it is the National Football League Hall of Fame or your high school hall of fame, having your name enshrined among legends forever speaks volumes about your character and what you were able to achieve in life.
The New Jersey Hall of Fame was created in 2005 and recently reached out to its students from all over the state to participate in their induction decision-making process.
The New Jersey Education Association created an essay contest in which students were instructed to submit an piece highlighting who they thought should be the next induction.
Nominations could include famous people — living or dead — as well as ordinary citizens who do extraordinary things.
The association made this year’s contest a summer project in an attempt to give students more time to research or interview, if possible, the person they wish to nominate.
The essay had to be typed, double-spaced and no longer than 500 words.
Entries were divvied up into two categories based on student’s age. The intermediate category consisted of grades four through eight and the high school category consisted of grades nine through 12.
The essays were judged by a panel comprised of NJEA and New Jersey Hall of Fame representatives.
This year’s panel selected Jonathan McAveety of the Indian Mills Elementary School as their intermediate winner.
McAveety chose Dr. James Still as his potential inductee.
Dr. Still was born in Shamong to a mother who was an escaped slave and a father who was a former slave who had purchased his freedom.
Still taught himself medicine by reading books and learning from elders and Native Americans in the area.
He went on to put his skills to use and became known as “the black doctor of the pines” and one of the wealthiest men in Burlington County.
“I thought this was a great story,” McAveety said.
He created a PowerPoint project last year and presented it to the entire third grade so most of the research had already been completed before he decided to write the essay.
He worked on this essay over the summer, writing and editing over a two-week period.
“I put a lot of effort into it,” McAveety said.
He was sponsored by his teacher Mrs. Karen Clementi.
“We are extremely proud of Jonathan. He is such a hard-working, highly-motivated young man,” Clementi said.
“He continually stretches himself to learn more about the world around him,” Indian Mills Elementary School Principal Nicole Moore said.
Moore also added that the district will now get a visit from the New Jersey Hall of Fame Mobile Museum because of McAveety’s award. This museum on wheels would normally charge $1,800.
McAveety is still waiting to see if he wins tickets to attend the NJ Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
