Although the ceremony was held virtually via Zoom, the awards presentation for the American History Essay Contest presented annually by the Chester County Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) featured all the customary activities. The event included meeting the winning students, the recognition of parents and teachers and the awarding of honorary citations from state representatives, followed by the reading of the essays.

"The customary presentation and recognition are certainly not the same. But so, so much is positive," stated Elberta Clinton, essay contest chair. "It's so rewarding to be made aware of ... our chapter winners and to have such a large number of guests 'Zoom-present' to share in this virtual ceremony. These are amazing, talented students."

Essay contest winners include Chloe Colson, a fifth-grader at Mary C. Howse Elementary School, West Chester, and Lauren Ranieri, a sixth-grader at St. Agnes Catholic School, West Chester. Claire Bushnell, the seventh-grader winner, and Juliana Kirby, the eighth-grade winner, are both students at Peirce Middle School, West Chester.

Clinton introduced the students, as well as their family members, teachers and school administrators who were in attendance via Zoom. She also read a biographical piece about each student.

Clinton explained the premise of the essay contest: "March 5, 2020, marked the 250th anniversary of the Boston Massacre, considered to be a pivotal event that paved the way to the American Revolution. Imagine you are living in Boston and, after witnessing the events of March 5, describe your family's discussion about the Boston Massacre and what role it played in organizing the colonists against the British king and Parliament."

Judging was based on historical accuracy, adherence to the topic, organization of material, interest, originality, spelling, grammar, punctuation and neatness. Also, the essay had to be the student's own work. This year's judges were DAR members Irene Moyer and Launa Sprouls. The non-DAR judge was Keith Burkert, a graduate of Rutgers University with a degree in history.

Chloe wrote from the point of view of a girl whose brother described the massacre as "the most horrible thing he had every watched." She also said the event was a way "to rally the 13 colonies to fight for their freedom." Lauren wrote about a girl named Elizabeth who lost her best friend, Christopher, during the massacre, writing that March 5 was "a terrifying day." In her essay, Claire wrote from the vantage point of a young girl living at the time, stating, "Girls are not to talk about war or anything masculine." Julianna set the stage of a family supper where family members discussed the sentiment at the time - "No taxation without representation."

State Sens. Carolyn Comitta and John Kean were on hand for the ceremony via Zoom as well. They read the citation that each student was presented at her school by her sponsoring teacher. For their achievements, each of the winners received a certificate, a medal and a monetary gift.