RIDGEFIELD — Two area high school students have earned special honors in essay contests. The essay competition is sponsored by Sons of The American Revolution, a lineage organization whose members trace their roots back to ancestors who fought in the American Revolution.
Elizabeth Swift, a sophomore at Ridgefield High School, placed first at state for her George S. & Stella M. Knight Essay Award essay titled “The Power of A Forgotten Few.” The essay addressed the perilous journey enslaved people faced in finding freedom during the American Revolution. Swift received $1,000 and a medal and certificate. She also placed first locally for the Knight Essay Award, and in doing so received $100 and a certificate from the Fort Vancouver SAR Chapter. Swift’s essay has now advanced to the national competition, where it is being considered against entries from across the country, potentially earning awards up to $6,000.
Josephine Abbott, a freshman at Seton High School, won first place in Southwest Washington for her Arthur M. and Berdena King Eagle Scout Essay “Marquis de Lafayette: American Aid and Savior.” Abbott’s essay chronicled the many contributions Lafayette made to helping General George Washington’s Continental Army win the American Revolution. She received a special Eagle Scout certificate and $100 from the Fort Vancouver SAR chapter.
Each year, SAR invites high school students to submit entries discussing people or events from the American Revolution or subjects dealing with the U.S. Constitution. For those students who earn the rank of Eagle Scout, they are invited to enter another essay and document their family’s lineage for four generations.
