Each year, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) sponsors an American History Essay Contest, open to students across the nation in grades five through eight. The following students from St. Martin of Tours School were selected as winners and also won at the district level: Sophia Cho (Grade 5), Daniel Chayes (Grade 6), Jack Palaski (Grade 7), and Eddie Chayes (Grade 8).
Sophia Cho and Jack Palaski went on to win at the state level and at the regional level, competing against students from all of the western states. Sophia and Jack ultimately triumphed at the national level, winning first place in the fifth and seventh grade competitions, respectively – an extraordinary accomplishment. The last national winner from St. Martin of Tours was Dan Oster, who won first place in the fifth grade competition in the early 90’s.
The purpose of the contest is “to encourage young people to think creatively about our nation’s great history and to learn about history in a new light.†This year’s topic was “Forgotten Patriots of the American Revolution.†Sophia chose to write about Haym Solomon, who joined the Sons of Liberty and helped finance the Continental Army. Jack’s “forgotten patriot†was James Armistead Lafayette, a slave who contributed to the British defeat at Yorktown. The two students will each receive a $1000 cash prize and will be honored in Washington, D.C. in June.
