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Marquis de Lafayette 200th Anniversary Celebration
LAFAYETTE ESSAY CONTEST: MIDDLE SCHOOL
The Worthington Historical Society is pleased to announce an essay writing competitions as part of its 200th Anniversary Celebration of General Lafayette’s visit to Worthington. Winners will be announced at the Lafayette Grand Ball on Friday, June 13th. A first prize of $150 and a second prize of $75 will be awarded. The winners do not have to be present to win.
Essay Topic
How does Lafayette’s return trip to the United States in 1824-1825 symbolize the spirit of American independence? In your essay, draw from your own personal experience with the notion of American independence as well as primary documents to explore specifically why President Monroe invited Lafayette and how that trip came to embody the idea of independence for citizens of the United States.
Rules
All entrants must be Hampshire County residents as of the submission date and must be validly enrolled in the 6th, 7th or 8th grades of any public or private school. Any student that may be in an alternative educational program approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and are in one of the above mentioned grade levels.
The essay must be written in English and must address the above topic.
The essay can be no more than 500 words in length. Please cite primary sources. The word limit shall exclude citations but include quotations.
The essay must adhere to the following:
- The title of the essay must appear at the top of the first page; further pages numbered on the top right.
- Essays must be in 12 point type with1 inch margins on all sides.
- Source material that is directly quoted, paraphrased, or summarized must be cited.
Any essay found to be plagiarized or generated all or in part by AI will be disqualified.
Submission
Submit your essay in PDF format with your name, contact information, school (or homeschool), and grade to the email address jamesdowney573@gmail.com using “Essay Submission” in the subject line.
All entries must be submitted by midnight, EST, June 1, 2025.
Judging
A committee of writers, educators, and historians will judge the essays according to the following criteria:
- Strength of argument
- Originality of thesis
- Style and creativity
Sponsored by Kate Ewald, Evan Johnson, Jim Downey, & Kevin O’Connor
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LAFAYETTE ESSAY CONTEST: HIGH SCHOOL
The Worthington Historical Society is pleased to announce an essay writing competitions as part of its 200th Anniversary Celebration of General Lafayette’s visit to Worthington. Winners will be announced at the Lafayette Grand Ball on Friday, June 13th. A first prize of $150 and a second prize of $75 will be awarded. The winners do not have to be present to win.
Essay Topic
How does Lafayette’s return trip to the United States in 1824-1825 symbolize the spirit of American independence? In your essay, draw from your own personal experience with the notion of American independence as well as primary documents to explore specifically why President Monroe invited Lafayette and how that trip came to embody the idea of independence for citizens of the United States.
Rules
All entrants must be Hampshire County residents as of the submission date and must be validly enrolled in the 9th, 10th, 11th or 12th grades of any public or private school. Any student that may be in an alternative educational program approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and are in one of the above mentioned grade levels.
The essay must be written in English and must address the above topic.
The essay can be no more than 1,000 words in length. The word limit shall exclude citations but include quotations. Citations of at least four (4) primary sources must appear in the essay.
The essay must adhere to the following:
- The title of the essay must appear at the top of the first page; further pages numbered on the top right.
- Essays must be in 12 point type with1 inch margins on all sides.
- Source material that is directly quoted, paraphrased, or summarized must be cited.
Any essay found to be plagiarized or generated all or in part by AI will be disqualified.
Submission
Submit your essay in PDF format with your name, contact information, school (or homeschool), and grade to the email address jamesdowney573@gmail.com using “Essay Submission” in the subject line.
All entries must be submitted by midnight, EST, June 1, 2025.
Judging
A committee of writers, educators, and historians will judge the essays according to the following criteria:
- Strength of argument
- Originality of thesis
- Style and creativity
- Grammar, punctuation and spelling
Sponsored by Kate Ewald, Evan Johnson, Jim Downey, & Kevin O’Connor