Two Deerfield-Windsor School students win Grand Dames state essay contest

ALBANY — Two Albany students have earned all-expense paid trips to Washington, D.C., thanks to winning the National Society of The Colonial Dames of America Essay Contest.

Deerfield-Windsor School juniors Neel Atawala and Will Sewell are two of three students who will represent Georgia this summer at a week-long trip to the nation’s capital to meet with area leaders, visit Congress, tour national monuments and participate in a model Congress.

The essay contest is open to high school students across the United States and winners are selected by going through a series of judging rounds before being selected as the winners.

According to Linda Moncrief, Patriot Services chair for the Albany Town Committee of the Colonial Dames, each town committee chooses multiple essays that are sent to the Athens Town Committee for state judging. The state winners are then submitted to the regional office, which chooses the final contest winners.

Each entrant had to write a 750-word essay on an assigned topic. The topic this year was, “To what degree can it be said that the decisions of John Marshall’s Supreme Court laid the essential groundwork for establishing a strong federal government?”

This year, 10 essays were chosen by the Athens Township to be sent to the regional judging, with seven of those from students at Deerfield-Windsor.

“The contest is open to all high schools and seven of the 10 chosen for regional were from Deerfield,” said Moncrief. “I think this says an awful lot about the quality of education the students are receiving here.”

In addition to the national awards presented to Atawala and Sewell, the Albany Town Committee also was awarded a $100 scholarship to DWS student Catherine Cromartie, whose essay impressed local judges.

The National Society of The Colonial Dames is an unincorporated association of 44 Corporate Societies founded in 1891. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the organization is devoted to historic preservation, restoration and stewardship.

In addition to sponsoring the annual essay contest, the organization boasts 13 museums and 41 properties owned outright by corporate societies.

The Colonial Dames also engage in other scholarship programs and educational projects, as well as various acts of patriotic service.

The Albany Town Committee of the Colonial Dames, formally known as the National Society Colonial Dames XVII Century was founded in 2009.