Mia Neeley, a fifth grader at St. Patrick School, recently won the national title of an essay contest sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution.
According to Kelli Neeley, Mia’s mom, the DAR holds an essay contest every year. Students from each chapter submit essays to be judged to, hopefully, win at the national level. Mia is a student in the Limestone chapter.
After national winners are announced, they are invited to the DAR’s continental conference at the constitution hall in Washington, D.C., Kelli Neeley said. She noted the conference is held a week before Independence Day every year.
Kelli Neeley said Mia won every level for fifth-grade submissions. She noted there are four levels. These include chapter, state, regional, and national. Principal Dr. Rachel Noll said the regional level includes five states.
Mia was invited to the continental conference, Kelli Neeley said. While there, Mia presented a speech in which she read a portion of her essay in front of hundreds of people. Kelli Neeley noted that Mia was also given a $2,500 award.
“It was fun to go to Washington D.C. and read it (her essay),” Mia said. Kelli Neeley added that their family was given a “general overview” trolley tour of the capitol.
She said they were able to see every national monument, Smithsonian Museum of American History, Arlington National Cemetery, and Ford’s Theatre, where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.
Noll added that Mia is the first national winner in the Limestone Chapter of Kentucky, which she is aware of. She knows Mia is the first student from St. Patrick School to win at that level. Noll noted past regional winners from the school.
According to Mia’s teacher, Sharon Phillips, preparation for the essay contest begins with research in October. She said drafts from students are due in November. Noll noted that every fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grader submits an essay each year.
“It’s just a really cool experience for our kids even just to submit something,” Noll said. “It was really cool.”
Kelli Neeley added that students choose a theme for their essays at the beginning of the process. Mia chose to be a delegate of the second continental congress as her theme.
Phillips said DAR representatives collect the essays around December for judging. Results are not typically announced until essays have been judged at the national level. Kelli Neeley noted that St. Patrick had regional winners in fifth, sixth, and seventh grade this year.
Mia said she is going to try to win the national title again this coming school year. She’ll be competing as a sixth grader.
For more information on the DAR continental conference, please visit https://web.cvent.com/event/ff2884f9-bac8-4ed3-aeff-a6e0c4433a5a/summary.
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