Winning Students Receive Free Field Trip of Historic Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – February 26, 2021 – The Constitutional Walking Tour of Philadelphia today announced the student winners of its 2020 American Freedom Essay Contest.
The winner in the Elementary School Category (Grades 1-5) was Jacinda Motley from Reiffton School in Reading, PA (Berks County) for the essay “Freedom to Vote” (Teacher: Stephanie Isselmann).
The winner in the Middle School Category (Grades 6-8) was Liliana Hathaway from Harrisburg Academy in Wormleysburg, PA (Cumberland County) for the essay “Freedom to Vote” (Teacher: Lindsay Bowman).
The winner in the High School Category (Grades 9-12) was Teba Latef from Mount Lebanon High School in Pittsburgh, PA (Allegheny County) for the essay “Why Freedom of Speech is Important” (Teacher: Marc Allemang).
Over the 14 years that the American Freedom Essay Contest has been offered, we have received thousands of wonderful essays from students attending public and private schools, as well as those being home schooled, across the entire United States. In total, there were more than 400 essays received from more than 40 schools which participated in the Constitution Day essay contest. Schools from the following states participated: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. For the first time in 14 years, all 3 winners were from Pennsylvania. The winning essays are posted online at www.theconstitutional.com/essay .
“Even though the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted so many academic calendars in2020, we were overwhelmed with the response to our 14th annual American Freedom Essay Contest,” stated Jonathan Bari, President of The Constitutional Walking Tour. “We salute all of the students and educators who participated in the contest on a job well done with the high caliber of essays that we received.”
Essay topics represented a broad spectrum of ideas and different points of view on various subjects including freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, the right to petition the government, the right to bear arms, the right to pursue one’s happiness, etc. With the 2020 Presidential Election, freedom to vote was a popular theme and the topic of 2 of the winning essays.
The winning students receive a free field trip and walking tour for their class. This year, they have the choice of an in-person tour with The Constitutional Walking Tour, or a Live Virtual Field Trip. The Constitutional Walking Tour's Virtual Field Trip is a great way to experience Historic Philadelphia during these unprecedented times when you can’t travel or visit Philadelphia in person.
American Freedom Essay Contest
September 17th is designated as Constitution Day because on that date in 1787, the delegates of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia signed the United States Constitution at Independence Hall. For the eighth year, in honor of Constitution Day, The Constitutional Walking Tour asked students to give their views about American freedom. The American Freedom Essay Contest challenged educators to get their students to write a 100-300 word essay on the importance of freedom in their lives. Entries were judged in Elementary School, Middle School and High School categories with the winner in each category earning a free field trip of Historic Philadelphia with The Constitutional Walking Tour for his/her class. For more details on The Constitutional’s field trips, visit www.TheConstitutional.com/schools.
To sign up to receive an email when the details of the 2021 American Freedom Essay Contest is announced, visit www.TheConstitutional.com/schools and sign up for The Constitutional Walking Tour’s Educator mailing list.
The Constitutional’s Educator Resources
The Constitutional Walking Tour offers a variety of resources to help Educational Institutions and Federal Agencies fulfill the annual requirement for Constitution Day programming, including The Constitutional Guided Walking Tour. For details on all of The Constitutional’s educational resources, please visit
www.TheConstitutional.com/1787 .
About The Constitutional Walking Tour of Philadelphia
The Constitutional Walking Tour of Philadelphia is one of the leading providers of Philadelphia sightseeing tours. Located in Historic Philadelphia, The Constitutional visits more than 20 of the most historical sites on a 75 minute, 1.25 mile outdoor adventure in the Independence National Historical Park area, which is home to the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and the National Constitution Center. The Constitutional is also the producer of the Spirits of '76 Ghost Tour of Philadelphia which features more than 20 of "Philly's Frights & Sights"™ on a 75 minute, 1.25 mile outdoor walking tour through Historic Philadelphia that features haunted facts and folklore. For more information, please see www.Spiritsof76.com .
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EDITOR’S NOTES - High Resolution Photos are available for media usage at:
www.TheConstitutional.com/images .
