Saint Joseph School eighth-grader Andrew Galvin won first place in the East Central Division of the West Virginia State Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) American history essay contest.
Galvin and fellow SJS students Stella Carter and Grace Derrick were invited to attend the National Society DAR State Conference on May 6 at Canaan Valley Resort & Conference Center in Davis, W.Va., for winning at the state level. During the conference, it was announced that Galvin won first place in his age group at the divisional level, while Carter (grade seven) and Derrick (grade six) each placed third. The East Central Division encompasses Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia.
A total of 70 students in grades five through eight from two schools in the Eastern Panhandle were asked by Pack Horse Ford Chapter NSDAR to imagine that they were delegates during the 1775-76 Second Continental Congress. They described which of the 13 colonies they represented and what was important for them to accomplish. The Second Continental Congress met from May 10, 1775, to March 1, 1781, and was instrumental in shaping what became the United States of America.
In his essay, Galvin represented John Hancock, former governor of Massachusetts. Carter presented ideas from fictitious delegate James Burn, while Derrick wrote from the perspective of a delegate she created named Jameson Marshall.
Shown May 6 at the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution West Virginia State Conference in Davis, W.Va., are, from left, NSDAR President General Pamela Rouse Wright; Saint Joseph School students Grace Derrick and Stella Carter; Pack Horse Ford Chapter Regent Cindy Nicewarner; WV State Chair, American History, Randi Gray; and NSDAR WV State Regent Jane Larke. Not pictured is SJS student Andrew Galvin.
