Historical Essay Contest of the House of Polandand
and its past Honorees

The first phase of the contest was launched in the spring of 2003.  One of its purposes has been to create opportunities for young people to learn about Poland, whose  culture and civilization span more than a thousand years and include contributions to the history of Europe and the United States of America.  Since high schools in the United  States generally offer very limited or no  information on the history of Poland, graduating students who may have an interest in this area leave with a knowledge gap.

One of the goals of the House of Poland is to  present Polish culture and heritage within the framework of its umbrella  organization, the House of Pacific Relations, for the benefit of the general public. This is done in the spirit of the California Pacific Exposition of 1935 for which the village of  international cottages was built in San Diego's Balboa Park. The complex of cottages is uniquely positioned to welcome numerous visitors and present their  culture and history through displays, ethnic food and special  programs.

The House of Poland solicits entries for the current phase of the contest and invites private  donations for the awards. Founders  of prizes and contributors will be publicly recognized. You may contact the House through the  website shown above or write to House of Poland, P.O. Box  1364, La  Mesa, CA 91944.

The first annual contest was concluded in May  2004. Entries had been received from several High schools and from a good cross-section of students. The essays were judged by an independent  panel of three judges who did not know the identity of the essay authors. The panel consisted of Professor Piotr  Gorecki, Ph.D, University of California Riverside, Professor Paul Knoll, Ph.D., Southern California University, and Anya Kuzma, B.A., San Diego State University. The judges were well pleased with the  overall quality of the essays, and awarded the following prizes:

FIRST PRIZE
(Founded by Appelt Family & Zofia Dziewanowska):
Kasia Raczek, Torrey Pines High  School.
Topic: Contribution of Jan Karski to the awareness in the West of German Nazi persecutions.

SECOND PRIZES
(Founded by House  of Poland Board & San Diego-Warsaw Sister Cities):
Agnieszka Cieplak, Torrey Pines High  School.
Topic: Contribution of Poles to solving the German Enigma Code.
Byron Ho, Poway High School.
Topic: The Impact of Kopernik (Copernicus) on  science.
Jadi C.  Conkling, San  DiegoHigh School.
Topic: Contribution of Jan Karski to the awareness in the West of German Nazi persecutions.

THIRD PRIZE
(Founded by Polish American Social Club of North San Diego County):
Joseph Munoz, University City High  School.
Topic: The Impact of Kopernik (Copernicus) on  Science.

HONORABLE MENTION - REPRESENTATIVE TOPICS 
NOT INCLUDED ABOVE:

Anna Podgornaia, University  City High School.
Topic: Significance of the introduction of Christianity in the early history of Poland.

Aubrey Rudd, Will Crawford High School.
Topic: The Polish Constitution of May 3, 1791.

Jose Villanueva, Preuss School UCSD.
Topic: The role of Poland in the decline of Communism in Europe.

Paul Wozniak, Francis Parker High School.
Topic: Pulaski and other high officers in the  American War of Independence and the Civil War.

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HOUSE OF POLAND, Inc.
Member, House of Pacific Relations
International Cottages, Inc. - Established 1935
Balboa Park, San Diego, California

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