Press release
It is the 125th anniversary of Ellis Island and the 8th graders were ask to imagine yourselves as a child traveling through Ellis Island in 1892. How would you transcribe your experience?
The winner of the Sarah Maples DAR essay contest was Presley Reese from Mabank Junior High School and here is what she said: “Hope. That is the first word that traveled through my head when I saw the Statue of Liberty. It was just a statue, so it didn’t say or do anything, but it still created this sense of freedom in me that I just can’t explain. I was just remembering this important moment in my life because it was going to be a memory I would cherish forever.”
Each year the Sarah Maples Chapter of DAR has these essay contests to remind students what our ancestors went through to gain our freedom. Awards are always given at the George Washington Tea.
Sarah Maples member Carole Ruska awarded Presley with a DAR Medal, Certificate and a gift card from Wal-Mart. Her mother Lee Ann Conway and teacher Laura Meurin look on as she accepts her awards. Winners will have their essays sent to the State level of DAR to be judged next.