American History Awards Presented
On Friday,
January 29, our Brunswick Town Chapter presented awards to 5th Grade
Student, Lauren Elizabeth Schulte-Hock at a special award ceremony at Supply
Elementary School. Lauren was the 5th
Grade winner for Brunswick County in our annual American History Essay
Contest. Receiving a Certificate of
Participation was Teo Ruiz. This year,
the topic for 5th through 8th graders centered on The
Stamp Act, as the year, 2015 marked the 250th anniversary of the
Stamp Act.
Presenting
Lauren with an American History medal, Certificates, and a cash award of fifty
dollars, were Chapter Regent, Ms. Diane Kuebert, and Carol Hart, Co-Chair of
the American History Committee. Ms. Hart
explained that the essays are read and judged by not only members of the
American History Committee, but also by a retired teacher who is not a DAR
member, and who has worked with her students in writing these essays. The contest is open to all Brunswick County
students in grades 5 – 12.
Ms. Kuebert
explained that the Stamp Act was a new tax passed by the British Parliament. It required all colonists to pay a tax on
every printed piece of paper they used.
The Stamp Act was viewed by the colonists as “taxation without representation.” Students were asked to describe a colonial
family’s discussion about the new Stamp Act and what role it played on
organizing the colonists against the British King and Parliament.
Fifth grade students from the
following schools participated in the contest this year: Bolivia, Supply, Lincoln and Union
Elementary. Students from three other
middle schools and West Brunswick High School also participated. Our 8th grade winner, Alexis Paige
Turturici, also won for the District.
Our 11th grade winner was Ashley Nicole Gibbs. Winners for 8th and 11th
grade will be celebrated at a Board of Education ceremony on May 3.
Assisting Lauren in the development
of the theme and research for her essay were teachers Ms. Jackie Brock, AIG
(Academically and Intellectually Gifted) Teacher, and Ms. Lori Crabtree, 5th
Grade Social Studies Teacher. Lauren is
the daughter of Mark Hock and Dawn Schulte-Hock of Bolivia. Writing her essay was a rewarding experience
for this fifth grader, and I’m sure she will remember what the Stamp Act was
all about!