Freedom Fest Freedom Fest 2018 | Page 10

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