Patriotic youth wins contest

Students at Immaculate Conception Regional School recently celebrated the accomplishment of their classmate, Emilly Stoveken, whose essay was the statewide winner for sixth-graders in a DAR essay contest. Emilly, along with her classmates, entered the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution’s American history Essay Contest commemorating Abraham Lincoln’s Centennial birthday (1809-2009). This year’s essay was entitled “The Ideals of the Gettysburg Address.” Emilly’s essay was chosen as the sixth-grade winner by the Chinkchewunska Chapter of DAR. It then became a contender for honors at the state level and went on to become the state sixth-grade winner. Her essay now heads off to the division level where it will be competing with essays across the nation. The contest was prompted at the school by history teacher Christine Rotondo. Emilly’s essay focused on the ideals of the nation and overcoming issues that divide us now as they did during Lincoln’s presidency. In her essay, she wrote that she considers herself “fortunate to be a citizen.”