Teaneck–Aaron Eckstein, a senior at the Torah Academy of Bergen County (TABC), won first prize in Bergen Grassroots’ writing contest for high school students. He penned an essay about the Bergen County Executive debate held in October between incumbent Kathleen Donovan and the challenger, James Tedesco, who went on to win the election. Bergen Grassroots, founded in 2013, is a Teaneck-based non-profit organization dedicated to informing residents about local and national public policy issues.

The essay’s reviewers noted they were extremely impressed with Eckstein’s article, and “found it to be superior in both its sophistication about the political process on which you were ‘reporting,’ and its effective use of the language to communicate both the substance and ambiance of the forum,” said Chuck Powers, president of Bergen Grassroots, in the award letter to Eckstein. “Several reviewers thought that it was a piece worthy of an accomplished college student–a view with which I, as a college and graduate student professor for many years, would agree. I am confident that your instructors at Torah Academy have expressed similar appreciation of your writing skills and likely also deserve some recognition for their work with you as their student,” wrote Powers.

Eckstein learned about the writing contest from JLBC as, last summer, he worked with JLBC as an intern on-assignment, working with editors to write three newspaper articles based on his three unique summer experiences: Two weeks at the Tikvah Fund High School Summer Institute at Yale University; a week spent with TABC’s first-ever delegation to a secular wrestling camp, and his internship working with Assemblyman Gary Schaer.

At TABC, Eckstein is editor-in-chief of Storm Watch, the school’s sports newspaper, president of the Pre-Law Club, Wrestling Club, History Bee and Bowl team, and is involved in a number of other activities. He lives in Passaic, has two sisters, and attends the Young Israel of Passaic-Clifton.