6 Elementary Students Win Chance to be Troy 'Mayor for a Day'

The results are in for the "Mayor for a Day" essay contest created by Troy Mayor Janice Daniels, and six local students will soon get the chance of a lifetime to each preside over a Troy City Council meeting this summer.

“The purpose of the essay contest is to ignite the flame of American patriotism in our youth at an early age,” Daniels said. “There were 60 excellent essays that were submitted by the May 11, 2012 deadline. Councilman (Wade) Fleming, Councilman (Dave) Henderson and I definitely had our work cut out for us in choosing only six winners."

This is the inaugural year for the "Mayor for a Day" essay contest, which Daniels said will return again next year.

“I certainly want to thank all of the participants, Mr. Charlie Langton and his staff for acting as the mediators between the contestants and the judging team," she said, "and I want to thank Councilman Fleming and Councilman Henderson who agreed to help by reading essays and choosing winners!” 

'Mayor for a Day' winners

The six winners will preside over the next six upcoming city council meetings, each serving as honorary chair for an entire meeting.

Michael Davis will chair the June 4 Troy City Council meeting. Michael, 11, has lived in Troy all his life; his family moved to Troy in 1984. He recently completed fifth grade at . Michael said he would like to be a professional soccer player and an eye surgeon when he grows up. He currently plays travel soccer with the RSC Lighting 01 team.

Adriana Colin will chair the June 18 Troy City Council meeting. Adriana was born in Mexico and moved with her family to Troy in 2006. She attends fifth grade at , and her favorite subject is social studies. She loves to read, practice sports and take swimming classes at the Troy Community Center. Last year, she completed a kids triathlon, and this year she is hoping to beat last year's time. Last month, Adriana competed in the Destination Imagination program as Troy Creative Minds team member, and last year, Adriana set a record at Troy Union for doing 80 timed push-ups. She said wants to be teacher, though after this contest, she is also considering becoming a mayor.

Riley Jasky will chair the July 9 Troy City Council meeting. Riley is a former student of the () who is now being home schooled. Riley recently completed a college course offered by Hillsdale College called Constitution 101 and passed the final exam with a perfect score. Riley loves to read and has a particular interest in American history, specifically the Civil War; one of his favorite historical figures is General Robert E. Lee. Riley likes to collect Pokemon cards and ride his bike, and when he grows up, he said he would like to follow his older brother’s footsteps and join the U.S. Army.

Matthew Proefka will chair the July 23 Troy City Council meeting. Matthew is finishing up fifth grade at Troy Union Elementary School and enjoys reading, swimming and playing the viola. Matthew’s favorite subject in school is math.

Muhammad Moaz Imtiaz will chair the August 13 Troy City Council meeting.  Muhammad, 10, lives in Troy but grew up in London, Ontario. He enjoys science, especially electrical, computer, software and aeronautical engineering.  Muhammad is also interested in geography and liked reading maps from a very young age. He is an expert at programming and has even created his own programming language. Muhammad has won the Canadian Gifted Kids award and knows several languages, including English, Urdu, Punjabi and Hindi. He also knows how to read Arabic and Spanish. He has won the Young Eagle award and is currently learning how to fly planes. He has won many awards for enthusiasm and inquisitiveness and has indicated that he might like to someday be the mayor of a city like Troy.

Felix Liang will chair the August 27 Troy City Council meeting. Felix and his family moved to Troy in 2008; he is now 9 years old finishing up fourth grade at .  Felix’s favorite subject is social studies, and he said he would like to be a historian when he grows up.  Felix likes music, drawing cartoons and telling jokes.

Source: Troy Mayor Janice Daniels