Spyglass staffer Sarah L. ’25 won the “Your Story Matters” essay contest hosted by Anne Frank LA, a non-profit dedicated to Anne Frank’s legacy, and the Los Angeles Public Library to celebrate Anne Frank Day on May 12. The contest was open to 13 to 16 year olds in Southern California. Contestants chose one of three selected quotations from The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank and related it to their own lives in either an essay or video.

Sarah wrote about her meaningful experience visiting the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam a few years ago. She said, “Walking behind the bookshelf to the secret annex that Anne lived in and seeing where she lived with my own eyes was an experience I’ll never forget.” 

Winners received an Amazon gift card and an invitation to an award and ribbon cutting ceremony at the LA Public Library on May 18, 2023. At the award ceremony, Sarah met Anne Frank LA board members, other contest winners, and Dorien Grunbaum, a child Holocaust survivor.

The LA City Council declared Anne Frank Day on April 26, 2022, after Olivia P. ’29 approached Councilmember Paul Koretz with the support of Anne Frank LA. Anne Frank Day commemorates Anne Frank, her father Otto, and the nearly 1.5 million children who perished during the Holocaust.

Sarah said, “The contest was a wonderful way for students to express their own stories while learning about Anne Frank.”