At Mater Christi, our eighth graders have been participating in the Abraham Lincoln Hildene Essay Contest for several years. The contest is statewide and winners are chosen from four different regions throughout the state. Each year, the Hildene organization puts forth a topical and thought-provoking prompt: this year, the prompt asked students to consider a polarizing issue in their community, discuss the opposing sides of the issue and then to develop a hypothetical action that the community could take, not to change the other’s mind, but to help reconcile the opposing groups and move forward in a united fashion, as Lincoln would have wanted. For the essay, students chose topics that both interested and affected them and their communities, such as gun violence, homelessness, public health, and phones in schools. We worked on the project over many weeks and students went through several drafts, beginning with a thesis statement and outline, and after rounds of feedback and editing, finishing with the final product. Throughout this process, students have learned how to be meticulous editors of their own writing, wrestling with things like word choice, sentence structure, weaving in source material, all for the purpose of communicating their ideas more effectively.

I cannot say enough good things about this group of students and the maturity, professionalism, open-mindedness, passion and intellectual curiosity they brought to this project. At first, when the project was introduced, many students were nervous about the topic and felt as though polarization was too unfamiliar of an issue for them to write about. But through their hard work and deep research, they persevered through the challenge and were able to reckon with topics so challenging that most adults avoid discussing them, all for the betterment of their communities and our society. Young people are incredibly capable in seeing things from a fresh perspective and I think these unique approaches are visible in the several MCS student essays that are being recognized.

From MCS, the following students have received an award or recognition:

• Natalie Richardson received the first place prize for her essay on medical assistance in dying.
• Esther Gray received the third place prize for her essay on religious tolerance.
• Eva Tarrant received an honorable mention for her essay on women’s rights.
• Lily Anker, Summer Nelson, and Agnes Nguyen were finalists in the contest for their essays on phones in schools, gender equity in sports, and freedom of speech, respectively.

It is unheard of for our small school to have such a comprehensive sweep of awards, and the students should be very proud of these successes! Congratulations to all the wonderful winners at our school and to every student who participated! To read more about the winning essays, you can visit the Hildene website!

Katherine Fischer
Middle School English Teacher