Jacob Forbes is the type of student who is always up for a challenge. A fifth grader and Gifted Support student at Loomis Elementary School,
he seizes the opportunity to participate in STEM competitions and other schoolwide contests. This school year he challenged himself to enter a local contest and was awarded the prize for the best 5th-grade essay.
The American History essay contest was hosted by the Delaware County Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR or DAR), a non-profit, non-political volunteer women’s service organization founded in 1890 by a small group of patriotic women. Dedicated to promoting patriotism and preserving American history, the DAR’s mission is to secure America’s future through better education for children. Each year the National chapter chooses an essay topic for the contest that is open to 5th-8th graders as well as high school students.
For this year’s essay prompt, students were asked to imagine that they were a delegate at the 1775-1776 Second Continental Congress. Nicole Kelly, the Delco DAR’s historian, judged the contest and said that Jaocb’s essay was by far the best of all the entries they received. Essay entries were received from schools across Delaware County and were judged based on historical accuracy, originality, organization and grammar. “Jacob did a phenomenal job,” said Nicole. “He made it a personal story and connected it to the historical event. It was a great read!”
Jacob wrote his essay as a journal entry as if he were a delegate from Massachusetts. In it, he described what it was like to fight alongside the Minutemen in the Revolutionary War. When crafting his essay, Jacob said he conducted his research online and was able to include information he learned in his social studies class.
Gifted Support teacher Mrs. Denise King has known Jacob since he was a second grader and supported him in writing the essay. “Jacob is a model student because he likes to challenge himself and doesn’t get discouraged,” said Mrs. King. It’s not just his academics that set Jacob apart though. “He’s polite and positive and a role model for the other students.” Outside of school, Jacob is active in many sports and he plays the saxophone. Next year, he’ll be attending Paxon Hollow Middle School where he looks forward to joining the music program as well as the LEGO and French Clubs.
To celebrate Jacob and the 6th-8th grade and high school winners of the essay contest, the DAR hosted a special ceremony at the Middletown Community Center on Martin Luther King Day. During the ceremony, Jacob had the opportunity to read his essay and received a $50 gift card as well as a goody bag filled with items to encourage students to keep writing and learning about history,Congratulations, Jacob! Your Marple Friends & Neighbors wish you the best of luck and look forward to hearing about your future accomplishments at Paxon Hollow!