Signal Hill, NSDAR Celebrates Area Students

The annual American History Essay Contest Youth Awards and Good Citizens Award ceremony was held at the Barrington Area Library, Sunday, February 24, 2019. Hosted by the Barrington area Signal Hill Chapter, NSDAR, Regent Deborah Edlund welcomed the group of students, teachers, principals, family members, chapter members and general public to the event.

Chapter Historian, Holly Dietz, began the Youth Awards segment by announcing the four student winners for fifth through eighth grades. Each student had been challenged with the task of writing an essay about: "World War I - Remembering the War to End All Wars", marking the 100th anniversary of the end of that war in November 1918. The end of the war was the beginning of a new age. Essayists were asked to imagine that they were living at that time; where they were living; how the end of the war would impact their daily life, and the pros and cons to society that the War brought about; and how those changes would impact the future of the United States in the years ahead.

Essays were judged by an independent group of three people for historical accuracy, spelling, grammar, and originality, among other things. The first-place winners at each grade level read their essay to the audience, namely Eva Gebhardt (5th grade, from Grove Avenue School, Barrington), Tyler Chang (6th grade, from Station Middle School, Barrington), Jainik Shroff (7th grade, from Station Middle School), and Devnanda Manjunadh (8th grade, Station Middle School). Chang and Shroff are returning winners; Chang taking first place last year at previous grade levels, and Shroff winning for the past three years at his grade level. Then they were awarded a medal, certificate, and ribbon. In addition, schools with first-place winners were presented with engraved plaques, and the winning essays competed at a District Level. Jainik Shroff won the District IV level as well for his grade level, and continues in competition.

Certificates and ribbons were awarded to each essay writer who also placed or received an Honorable Mention as follows:

For Fifth Grade:

Second Place: Natalia Sulikowski, Roslyn Road

Third Place: Irene Sizopoulos, Grove Avenue

Honorable Mention

Mariam Ali, Grove Avenue; Gael Arellano, Sunny Hill; Jack Ball, Sunny Hill; Evie Beckett, Roslyn Road; Daniella Cruz, Sunny Hill; Hailey J. Donovan, Grove Avenue; Ethan Kim, Grove Avenue; Jacob Knapik, Roslyn Road; Kaitlyn Leonard, Roslyn Road; Zach Lampros, Roslyn Road; Danayah McCarney, Sunny Hill; Sreehitha Nara, Grove Avenue; Omar Olague, Sunny Hill; Aaditya Patel, Grove Avenue; Atharva Patel, Grove Avenue; Milani Patel, Roslyn Road; Matthew Remi, Grove Avenue; Ava Roby, Grove Avenue; Caled Salas, Sunny Hill; Cameron Shields, Roslyn Road; Bhavesh Sivaraj, Grove Avenue; Cyrena Young, Grove Avenue; Amelia Young, Roslyn Road.

For Sixth Grade:

Second Place: Will Guo, Station Middle

Third Place: Oumy Janah Gueye, Station Middle

For Seventh Grade:

Second Place: Brooke Ward, Prairie Middle

Third Place: Sofiabelle Amirante, Prairie Middle

Ms. Deb Lezon of the Signal Hill Chapter recognized Savannah Born, a senior from Barrington High School, as the winner of the Good Citizens Award. The DAR Good Citizens Award and Scholarship Contest, created in 1934, is intended to encourage and reward the qualities of good citizenship. This award recognizes and rewards individuals who possess the qualities of dependability, service, leadership, and patriotism in their homes, schools, and communities. Students are selected by teachers and peers because they demonstrate these qualities to an outstanding degree. Miss Born received a scholarship of $1,000 from the Signal Hill Chapter Committee to help to defray upcoming college costs.

For information about Signal Hill Chapter's student contests, visit signalhilldar.com. The Signal Hill Chapter, NSDAR, raises funds throughout the year and distributes to 501 (c) (3) organizations, whose missions support DAR's mission of education, historic preservation, patriotism, conservation, and Native American issues. The chapter was founded in 1972, and is dedicated to preserving history, promoting patriotism, conservation and historic awareness in our community, and securing America's future through better education for children. Membership is established through approval of documentation of direct lineage from an American Revolutionary War Patriot. For more information, please contact Jacqueline Marcus at J9Marcus@aol.com.