Essay Contest
T
he children of Morgan
Hill and San Martin began
thinking about the 4th of July
in March when they were invited to
enter Morgan Hill Freedom Fest’s
Essay Contest! Essays were due the
end of April. At that time, our panel
of judges had the diffi cult task of
choosing winners in our two divisions:
Children in Second and Third Grades
(Primary) and Children in Fourth and
Fifth Grades (Intermediate).
This year’s topic, “If you could
give America a birthday gift, what
would it be? Why?” refl ected our
Freedom Fest Theme, “Happy
Birthday, America.” Our theme
topic was embraced by local children
and resulted in 336 essays being
submitted. Once again, P. A. Walsh
STEAM Academy had the most en-
tries! Congratulations to those Walsh
Wolves! Children wrote about giving
America increased funds for research
to cure diseases, fi nding a solution to
homelessness, and ways to preserve
our environment. So many of our
essays were heartfelt, thoughtful,
and written with others in mind.
We received essays from children
in our community’s public and private
schools. We thank our amazing
young authors and their teachers
for taking the time to share their
thoughts with us.
Each child who wrote an essay
received a Participant Ribbon for his/
her efforts. Our winners receive cash
prizes, T-shirts, and trophies. They
are also “Guests of Honor” in our
4th of July Parade. Our Parade
organizers graciously provide them
with a ride thro