Shady Side Academy freshman Spencer Greenberg recently won third place in the 2017 Waldman International Arts and Writing Awards, sponsored by the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh. Greenberg's essay, titled God Is, placed third in the Creative Writing - High School (Pittsburgh) category. The theme of this year's contest was Spiritual Resiliency.

Greenberg's interest in the Holocaust and the World Wars was nurtured last year by the SSA Middle School's eighth grade curriculum, where a yearlong theme of social justice is woven into English and social studies classes.

Greenberg and the other Walden Award winners will be honored at a ceremony at the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh on April 19, 2017.

The Waldman International Arts and Writing Awards competition is annually underwritten by the Hal K. and Diane Waldman Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, and is sponsored by the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh in collaboration with J-Film, P2G – Partnership2Gether, Classrooms Without Borders and the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.

Congratulations, Spencer!