Prodell Middle School student Jordan McClintock has been selected as a third-place winner in the fourth annual Hispanic Heritage Month Essay Contest hosted by Cablevision’s Power to Learn. The sixth-grade student’s essay answered the question put forth by the cable company about what it means to be of Latino or Hispanic heritage. Students from approximately 5,000 schools throughout Cablevision’s service area participated in the essay contest.
      
Jordan read her eloquent essay during an assembly in which she received accolades from Cablevision representative Martha Turner and Suffolk County Legislator Dan Losquadro, as well as a proud show of support from Superintendent of Schools Dr. Steven Cohen, Principal Dr. Linda Anthony, Assistant Principal Peggy Grosso, and her family and classmates.
    
 Legislator Losquadro told Jordan that it means a lot to have a winner from the school from which he graduated years prior. “Whichever country we are from, it is important to incorporate that heritage into the culture of the United States,” he told the students. “This is what makes and keeps us the best country on earth.”
     
At the end of the assembly, Cablevision gave Jordan a new computer so that she can continue to write more award-winning essays. Legislator Losquadro also presented the sixth grader with a Suffolk County proclamation for having been selected as an essay winner.