The Sun City National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, Agua Fria Chapter, has formed a partnership with Canyon Ridge Elementary School, 17359 W. Surprise Farms Loop North, by sponsoring the 2021 NSDAR History Essay Contest for award-winning history teacher Christopher Raso’s seventh-grade students.

On Feb. 25, middle level learners, their teachers and community guests gathered for an awards assembly and to honor student Charles Riley III, who won first place in the contest on the chapter level.

Chapter Regent Twila Lobitz presented him with a special award and an Excellence in History medal. His outstanding work will now advance to the Arizona DAR state level competition with the potential of winning at the NSDAR National level. The students who submitted an essay for the contest were presented with a NSDAR certificate of participation for their efforts. Honorary Chapter Regent Shirley Staggs assisted in handing out American flags to each student as they were presented with their certificate.

“The theme of the annual contest involved the one hundredth anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery,” stated Raso. “Each student generated a thought-provoking historical essay of 600 words or more that highlighted the importance of the national monument. The essay prompt required a combination of historical facts, patriotic perspectives, and fictional characters. Learners performed internet research to determine the design, construction, and purpose of the tomb. They also included facts from their study of the First World War in social studies class and the creative writing techniques and conventions provided during Language Arts instruction. To foster greater realism for the fictional roles presented in their work, students explored a variety of primary documents such as: historic newspapers, journal accounts, editorials, period advertisements, and city maps related to early twentieth century America.

“Some of our young writers went even further and had their characters use actual roads, walking paths and trolley routes, to reach the dedication ceremony in Arlington, Virginia. Long gone boarding houses and family-owned businesses of the era became settings for our students to present convincing surroundings. Their presence and impressions at the dedication of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier remained the focus of their story. Historic family names and long-lost addresses were sometimes employed with select middle school learners presenting information about the cold weather forecast on the dedication day. Quotes and reactions from the guest speakers who were really in attendance one hundred years ago, were also prevalent.”

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