If 9-year-old Ellie Sproul were mayor for the day, she’d create a place — like a community center — to benefit those who live around her.
Ellie would raise money to build the facility, and work to bring in community input. She’d encourage people to come and help teach the kids at the center how to be “kind, helpful adults.”
Her plan also includes a pool, where Michael Phelps himself could come and talk to the community about the benefit of having a community pool.
And while Ellie may be only a fourth-grader at Freedom Elementary School, she’s got big plans, the Maryland Municipal League is paying attention.
Ellie is one of 11 winners of the “If I were mayor, I would …” essay contest, which is done each year through the MML and the Maryland Mayors’ Association, and is open to fourth graders across the state. The contest is a chance for students to “creatively use grade-specific language arts skills and civics / social studies knowledge,” according to the website. This year’s theme was live to lead.
Every year, 11 essays are chosen from thousands of submissions. This year’s winners received $100, a governor’s citation and a boat cruise of Annapolis on the Harbor Queen. Winners were also honored in Annapolis at a ceremony at the State House in front of family, their teacher, mayors and local dignitaries.
“I am passionate about building this community center for my city,” Ellie wrote in her essay. I would like to have a pool in my community center. I want it to be low cost so your whole family can go for a low cost! I would like to buy a building that is going our of business. We would not have to pay a lot of money and we could add to it. If we don’t spend a lot of money to build the community center, then we can charge just a little bit to go to the pool.”
Ellie said her community center will bring a “bunch of family fun,” and will be a place where kids can learn.
“I will have police come and visit and they can talk about safety and what you need to do to be a better citizen,” she said.
Ellie said she was surprised to win the contest, and celebrated with an ice cream and pizza party with her family, including her parents and two younger brothers.
“It felt awesome because I never knew that I could actually beat like 3,118 people,” she said, later adding, “I like that I could express my idea and solve a bunch of problems that are very important.”
Sarah Sproul, Ellie’s mom, said they were surprised when she won the contest because it was against so many other kids. Sproul said she was home alone with her toddler son when she found out, and was jumping up and down and shouting when she read the news.
Sproul said Ellie is sympathetic to people in situations other than her own, something that helped her in this contest.
“I feel like, beyond the writing skills and the organization of thought, she had to sort of stretch her mind to think of ways to benefit other people besides herself. So I think that’s good for any 9-year-old kid, because they’re all kind of living in their own world at this point.”
Aside from winning the contest, Ellie gets to be Sykesville’s junior mayor for the year.
Mayor Ian Shaw said the junior mayor position was something the town started last year, adding that they took a cue from what some of the other municipalities do with their contest winners.
“It’s really great to be part of this program,” he said.
Shaw said getting kids like Ellie involved is great, because it’s a chance for them to learn about local government, see what it’s like and have some of their ideas considered.
It’s important to get the kids’ perspectives, he said. Adults are sometimes jaded, and kids bring in fresh ideas, he said.
“The kids just don’t look at it that way,” Shaw said. “They just look at it from a view of, ‘Why not?’ ”
Shaw said he thought Ellie’s essay was fantastic, and loved that it included ways to try to fund her project. Overall, he said, it was just really well-written.
Ellie will get a chance to sit in on a council meeting, maybe spend some time with the town manager and other leaders and also get to light the Christmas tree this year. Since this is the second time Sykesville has done the junior mayor, Shaw said they’re working to expand the role.
When she’s not coming up with big goals, Ellie said she likes to write stories, play with Legos and play with her 2-year-old brother. In school, she loves to do art. She’s also involved in dance, where she learns ballet, tap and jazz, and also sings.
“I love to sing. I do it every night,” Ellie said.
And while she’s got a few years until she has to make any career choices, Ellie continues to have big goals.
“[I want to be] maybe a singer or a mayor,” she said.
