SALEM - Dinner will be at the governor's residence Saturday evening.
That's where Zach Maenz, his mother, Jill, Salem Junior High School teacher Kelly Janofa and Principal Sean Kirkland will be.
That's because Maenz, one of Janofa's students won the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio's 3rd Annual "I'm a Child of Appalachia" essay contest for the eighth grade.
His essay, titled "Encouragement" was one of 2,600 submissions in the contest that was open to all 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade students who live and attend school in one of the 29 counties in Appalachian Ohio.
He also won a $100 U.S. Savings Bond for himself and a $500 grant for Janofa for her classroom curriculum enrichment.
The contest was sponsored by the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio located in Nelsonville.
Janofa is a gifted intervention specialist and language teacher. She said there were 17 in Zach's class and 30 altogether in the 7th and 8th grades who submitted entries.
"I'm proud of him, he's a real good kid," she said.
Janofa said she gave her students two weeks to write their essays. The contest criteria called for the essays to be no more than 400 words.
Maenz, who is on the football team and band, is on crutches recovering from a foot injury.
He said, "It didn't take me very long to write it at all."
Maenz said he likes to write but loves mathematics and wants to be a math teacher, a goal that he sets out in his award-winning essay.
He wrote: "When I get older, I would like to be a teacher. I want to encourage kids to try their very best all of the time. I will pick kids up, not put kids down. I have teachers who encourage me to be the best that I can be. Those teachers are my favorite. Kids want to be encouraged."
He said he did a pre-write and then a final draft where, "I changed a few things around."
During Saturday's program, which is the 10th year anniversary for the essay contest, Maenz will have his picture taken with Strickland and his wife, Ohio's first lady, Frances.
Maenz's father is Darrin and he has an older sister, Melanie, and younger brother, Levi.
So far he seems to have the writing part down, but he really means it as far as teaching mathematics.
"I love math," he said.
Larry Shields can be reached at lshields@salemnews.net
