DAR Awards First Place to Canyon Ridge Student

Congratulations to Christina Ubochi, seventh grade student at Canyon Ridge School, for winning first place in the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) 2020-2021 American History Essay Contest. Sponsored by multiple local groups of the Arizona DAR, including the Agua Fria and White Tanks chapters, the contest offers middle level students the opportunity to explore a historical topic related to the Revolutionary War; while promoting creativity with the inclusion of fictional elements. 

This year all contest entries highlighted the pivotal role of the Boston Massacre in the outbreak of hostilities between England and the thirteen colonies. Students were asked to imagine that they were living in Boston at the time and witnessed the protests and deadly response of March 5, 1770. The prompt required learners to include genuine historical details based on research; combined with creative elements and quotations. Learners formulated a family discussion that focused on the organization of the colonists for a coming push for independence. Each essay was required to be 600 words in length and was judged based on multiple criteria including: historical accuracy, originality, and writing conventions.

“The contest allows students to think creatively regarding social studies,” states Canyon Ridge School social studies teacher Christopher Raso. “By promoting elements of fact and fiction in each essay, our learners are combining curricular elements of both social studies and language arts in their work while personalizing their understanding of American history.”

Christina Ubochi received a first place certificate, a DAR medal, and a gift card for her accomplishment. Her essay will now advance to the state level DAR competition for further consideration. For the third consecutive year, Canyon Ridge School submitted more than 50 essays for the contest and continues to work closely with Arizona Daughter of the American Revolution on a variety of endeavors designed to promote patriotism, character development, and creativity in our young citizens.