Randolph student places first in essay contest – Wicked Local Randolph
Elise Ferguson, of Randolph, representing St. Mary of the Hills School, recently earned first place for her division in The Bostonian Society and Boston Duck Tours Essay Contest. St. Mary of the Hills School is celebrating their sixth year in this statewide competition, taking home first, second, and third place for the fifth- and sixth-grade division as well as the seventh- and eighth-grade division. Ferguson, grade seven, won first place with an essay on loyalism. Aoidin Salmon, of Milton, grade eight, took second place, while Colson Ganthier, of Milton, grade eight, placed third. The seventh- and eighth-grade classes edited their submissions under the instruction of English teacher, Colin Flaherty. The middle school students also did well in their division with Kevin Gallius, of Milton, and Jenysis Pitter, of Hyde Park, winning the first and third place prizes, while sixth grader Anna McANulty, of Milton, took home second place. Fifth- and sixth-grade students wrote and revised these essays under the instruction of Christine Norton. This is the second year in a row that St. Marys has swept the competition with a first, second, and third place victory. This is the sixth consecutive year that a St. Marys student has won the grand prize. The Bostonian Society and Boston Duck Tours honored St. Marys students during an assembly on Jan. 20. Jim Healy of the Boston Historical Society, congratulated these students and gifted them with exciting awards. In addition to earning a free Duck Tour for her entire class, contest winner Elise Ferguson also won a thousand dollars to put towards her school tuition. In this years essay contest, The Bostonian Society and Boston Duck Tours have encouraged the students to think outside of the box as they were asked to sympathize with a loyalist point of view during the American Revolution. The contest also tasked students with discussing historical sites that preserve the loyalist traditions. To prepare his students, Faherty had his classroom review expository five paragraph writing, a style of essay used to present a topic in a straightforward and logical manner. Coincidentally, American History is the focus of the seventh- and eighth-grade social studies curriculum, so this was an opportunity to test their knowledge. The research ranged from textbooks to websites, and essays were enthusiastically peer reviewed. The parochial schools who enter the contest always do exceptionally well when it comes to writing said Healy. Professors from the history departments of Northeastern and Suffolk University judged thousands of submissions to choose these winners. The students will travel to the city this spring to view the city on a Boston Duck Tour.
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Randolph student places first in essay contest - Wicked Local Randolph