Needham Student Wins Sports Museum's Annual Writing Contest

From the Sports Museum:

Needham resident Jacobus Cornelisse from Catholic Memorial High School was chosen as the winner of the grade 10 division of the 2016 Will McDonough Writing Contest. The contest, presented by the Sports Museum and sponsored by Bank of America and the Boston Globe, is open annually to students in grades 4-12. The Sports Museum received approximately 2,000 entries for this year’s contest, and judges were asked to pick one winner from each grade.

Cornelisse’s essay, "Morten Weighorst," will be displayed in the Will McDonough exhibit located within the Sports Museum until April 2016. Thanks to the continued support from the Boston Celtics, Cornelisse and the other contest winners attended the Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks game on Friday, April 8, immediately following the awards ceremony held at the TD Garden. The winners watched the game from the press level at the TD Garden and experienced what it’s like for writers to cover a professional sporting event. Each winner was also awarded an e-reader.

The Will McDonough Writing Contest is designed to encourage the development of language and writing skills while incorporating the topic of sports and concepts such as teamwork, respect and perseverance. Judges from the Boston Globe hold the entries to the highest of standards, and all entries are judged on organization, expression and how well the topic was addressed.

Will McDonough, a Boston Globe columnist of 44 years, was the Globe’s only sports-writer to be nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. McDonough passed away in January 2003. Sports editor for the Boston Globe and one of the judges for the contest Joseph Sullivan sites McDonough, as “a legend, one of the greatest sports journalists in history.” McDonough was a mentor to young writers and for this reason, the Sports Museum and his colleagues from the Globe dedicated this contest in his memory.