A single tissue wasn't enough to catch the tears, when CedarBridge Academy student Khaivon Brown, 16, read out the winning essay in a prestigious local competition.

Khaivon wrote an essay about being thankful for his stepfather, Pastor Pedro Castro, in the 13th Annual Tom Pettit Thanksgiving Essay Competition.

The competition contest was created by Patricia Pettit, principal in local marketing consultancy, Pembroke Atlantic Ltd. and named for her late husband, Tom Pettit an Emmy-award winning NBC TV journalist who briefly lived in Bermuda.

Since 1997, the Island's secondary students have been invited to explore the topic "Why I Am Thankful" showcasing their writing talent and having the chance to win monetary awards.

This year $8,000 in prizes will be awarded to the seven finalists with matching grants to their schools.

"When Khaivon read the essay at the awards presentation that was the first time my husband heard it," said Khaivon's mother, Rev. Stephanie Castro.

Rev. Castro is an English teacher at CedarBridge Academy.

"We were bawling," she said. "I had a little piece of tissue paper and I ripped it half and gave it to my husband. It was really touching."

Khaivon wrote about the pain of not having a relationship with his biological father for many years, and the joy of gaining a stepfather.

"My mother got married three years ago," said Khaivon.

"At first, I was unsure what it was going to be like to have a stepfather. But I was happy at the same time, because I knew how happy my mother was."

Khaivon is originally from Boston. His family moved to Bermuda when his stepfather became pastor at Vernon Temple AME Church.

Now Khaivon spends a lot of time with his father doing the "normal father-son bonding things".

"Sometimes we go to the golf course and play golf," said Khaivon.

"We have morning prayer. We like watching football games."

Khaivon said it was hard not having a relationship with his biological father. "The people I know, a lot of them have fathers," he said. "There are a lot of people who don't have them in the household."

Khaivon went on the Internet and found statistics that showed that in 2006, according to the United States Census report, there were 12.9 million single parent households. Women headed the majority of them. "My English teacher Ms Weekes inspired us to enter the competition," said Khaivon.

This was his second time entering the writing competition.

Khaivon said he was overwhelmed at the awards presentation. "It was kind of weird," he said. "I was so excited that I was even a finalist. I wasn't aware of my surroundings. I was just so happy that I was there. I was happy that the Premier Dr. Ewart Brown attended. I got to see the prestitious people in Bermuda."

Khaivon is a sophmore at CedarBridge Academy. Last year, he was inducted into the National Honours Society, when he had the highest Grade Point Average of all the boys at CedarBridge Academy.

He was recently selected to attend the Global Youth Leadership Conference this summer in China.

"They select students from each school that they think are leaders," said Khaivon. "They send you to a conference with other people who are from all over the world.

"We debate on topics such as global warming or politics in each other countries."

He is currently fundraising for that trip. Although he enjoys writing, his true passion is basketball, and he is on the National Under-18 Basketball Team.

"I would like to play basketball in Europe because it sounds so cool," he said. "Or I would like to become a sports journalist."

The competition receives generous support from The Ace Foundation, Chevron International, RenaissanceRe and Validus Re.

The panel of judges included: Sirkka Huish, Bermuda Sun, well-known educator, Florenz Maxwell, Jessie Moniz, The Royal Gazette and Attorney General Sen. Kim N. Wilson.

The Premier plans to visit CedarBridge Academy this week to personally congratulate the winners of the competition.