Girl wins bank essay contest

A 12-year-old East Rockaway girl was grand prize winner among 1,000 entries in an essay contest sponsored by Astoria Federal Savings, the bank said last week.

The Rhame Avenue School student, Megan Ochtera, center, wrote in her essay that "with her savings she would get a college education to become a teacher and open a school for children in Zimbabwe,” the bank said.

There, “all the kids would learn about the arts by playing instruments and putting on plays while they were learning,” Ochtera wrote in her essay.

Ochtera won a computer in the competition, and her school got one too.

This is the fifth year the bank has sponsored the competition, titled the Teach Children to Save Essay Contest. Children ages 5-12 may participate in schools in Nassau, Suffolk, Brooklyn, Queens and Westchester counties.

The contest also produced two second-prize winners from Long island. They are Cami Berger, 10, of East Rockaway; and Alex Singer, 11, of Roslyn Heights.

Pictured above are:East Rockaway School District Director of Curriculum and Technology John Piccarella, Astoria Federal East Rockaway Branch Manager Antoinette Tolomeo, Grand Prize Winner Meagan Ochtera, Astoria Federal Savings 1st VP/Director of Branch Banking Susan Ring and Rhame Avenue Elementary School Principal Laura Guggino.

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