Hilltop’s Revolutionary Writers

In November, our middle school students participated in the Chinkchewunska Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution American History essay contest.  Under the direction of our Upper School English teacher, Ms. Sarah Weeks, students tackled this year’s topic: the Boston Massacre. 2020 marks the 250th anniversary of the Boston Massacre, considered a pivotal event that paved the way to the American Revolution.

The student writers were given the following prompt: 

“Imagine you are living in Boston, and, after witnessing the events of March 5, describe your family’s discussion about the Boston Massacre and what role it played in organizing the colonists against the British King and Parliament.”  

Using the five-step writing process (pre-writing, drafting, revising, proofreading, and publishing), students worked diligently to craft narrative essays; special emphasis was placed on the revision step, and all students took part in peer exchanges of their work, as well as one-to-one teacher conferences. 

We are very proud to announce that ten of our middle school writers were recognized for their essays this year, and four of our students’ essays will be sent to the state-level competition.

Grade 8 Chapter Winner: Justin Arapkiles

 

Grade 7 Chapter Winner: Henry Gibson

Grade 7 Second Place: Sammy Easton

Grade 7 Third Place: Sophie Schaeffner

Grade 7 Honorable Mention: James Brugna

 

Grade 6 Chapter Winner: Cameron Clifford

Grade 6 Second Place: Antonia Miragliotta

Grade 6 Third Place: SJ Gekht

 

Grade 5 Chapter Winner: Timothy Willwerth

Grade 5 Second Place: Ella Pacich

Justin’s, Henry’s, Cameron’s, and Timothy’s winning essays will be forwarded to the NJDAR Chair for consideration at the state level. 

In this extraordinary year, we want to thank the Chinkchewunska Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution for offering our students this creative and educational opportunity.  

Congratulations to all!