Civil War Essay Contest Winners 2000-2010

2010 Winners

High School Division

First Prize
Jacob Fletcher, Eleanor Roosevelt High School, Greenbelt, MD
"The Postman: Joseph William Briggs and the Free City Delivery System"

Second Prize
Geoffrey Andrews, West Morris Central High School, Chester, NJ
"Eyes in the Sky: Balloons During the Civil War"

Third Prize
Paloma Alonso, Notre Dame School, New York, NY
"Locke Resolved: How the Civil War Tested John Locke’s Theory"

Honorable Mention
in alphabetical order:
Efthima Barbagiannis, Academy of American Studies, Long Island City, NY
Erica Chan, Notre Dame School, New York, NY
Amber Ferguson, Eleanor Roosevelt High School, Greenbelt, MD
Michael Golodner, John F. Kennedy High School, Bellmore, NY
Aubrey Vinh, West Morris Central High School, Chester, NJ
Jerry (Zhenghao) Zhang, Montville High School, Montville, NJ
Eric Zilber, Montville High School, Montville, NJ

Middle School Division

First Prize
Josh Kirk, Susan B. Anthony Middle School, Minneapolis, MN
"Union Blockade: The Impossible Task that Won the War"

Second Prize
Yolanda Wadolowski, St. Nicholas Elementary School, Brooklyn, NY
"The United States Divided and Reunited"

Third Prize
Augusta Pendergast, School of the Holy Child, Rye, NY
"David Glasgow Farragut"

2009 Winners

High School Division

First Prize
Ally Tank, West Morris Central High School, Chester, NJ<
"Abraham Lincoln and the New Birth of Freedom"

Third Prize
Scott Loring, Eureka High School, Eureka, CA
"Elmira’s Confederate Prison"

Honorable Mention
in alphabetical order:
Dawnn Anderson, Notre Dame School, New York, NY
Dana Angelo, Notre Dame School, New York, NY
Ardinez Domgjioni, Academy of American Studies, Long Island City, NY
Leah Donahue, Sparkman High School, Harvest, AL
Erin Leyson, West Morris Central High School, Chester, NJ
Shaelyn Thomas, Arcata High School, Arcata, CA
James Young, Sparkman High School, Harvest, AL

2008 Winners

High School Division

First Prize
Amanda Ebert, Milwaukee High School of the Arts, Milwaukee, WI
"The Woman’s Sphere: Anti-Feminism within the Abolitionist Movement"

Second Prize
April Soohoo, John F. Kennedy High School, Bellmore, NY
"The Forgotten Warriors: Children of the Civil War"

Third Prize
Michael Commesso, Patchogue-Medford High School, Medford, NY
"Cotton in the Civil War"

Honorable Mention
in alphabetical order:
Ornella Delle Noci, Notre Dame High School, New York, NY
Giuliano Fulco, Salesian High School, New Rochelle, NY
Shanee Griffith, Notre Dame High School, New York, NY
Katherine Kaze, Brooklyn Technical High School, Brooklyn, NY
Esther Kim, Academy of American Studies, Long Island City, NY
Sarah Knight, Eureka High School, Eureka, CA
Joseph David Redemann, Milwaukee High School of the Arts, Milwaukee, WI

Middle School Division

First Prize
Judy Pu, Louis Pasteur Middle School, Little Neck, NY
"The Domino Effect: Causes of the Civil War"

Second Prize
Nora Kane, Susan B. Anthony Middle School, Minneapolis, MN
"John Brown’s Harper’s Ferry Raid"

Third Prize
Brodin Jentz, Susan B. Anthony Middle School, Minneapolis, MN
"The Emancipation Proclamation"

2007 Winners

High School Division

First Prize (Tie)
Karen Dubbin, Spanish River High School, Boca Raton, FL
"Abraham Lincoln and the Suspension of the Writ of Habeas Corpus"

Selena Milewski, Milwaukee High School of the Arts, Milwaukee, WI
"The Scourge of Selective Memory: Southern Control of Civil War Remembrance and History"

Third Prize
Mickey Mahar, Milwaukee School of the Arts, Milwaukee, WI
"The War from Above: The Use of Balloons in the American Civil War"

Honorable Mention
in alphabetical order
Jessica Bingham, West Morris Central High School, Chester, NJ
Adia Ferris, Notre Dame High School, New York, NY
Alyssa Ludwig, Milwaukee High School of the Arts, Milwaukee, WI
Emily Merritt, Patchogue-Medford High School, Patchogue, NY
Casey Riesing, Milwaukee High School of the Arts, Milwaukee, WI
Jennifer Utrecht, Spanish River High School, Boca Raton, FL

2006 Winners

High School Division

First Prize
Jean Dahlquist, Milwaukee High School of the Arts, Milwaukee, WI
"The Monitor, the Merrimac, and the Martyr"

Second Prize
Catherine G. Clark, Milwaukee High School of the Arts, Milwaukee, WI
"Rebels Among Rebels: Southern Unionists in the Civil War"

Third Prize
Christina Maldonado, Notre Dame School, New York, NY
"Ulysses S. Grant: The Rise, Fall and Resurrection of an American Hero"

Honorable Mention in alphabetical order
Samantha O. Alcala, Notre Dame School, New York, NY
Yusuke Asai, Academy of American Studies, Long Island City, NY
Kim Bruno, Patchogue-Medford High School, Medford, NY
Ashley Nelson, Academy of American Studies, Long Island City, NY
Tina Olayimika, Eleanor Roosevelt High School, Greenbelt, MD
Jillian Schofield, Glen Este High School, Cincinnati, OH
Drew Williams, Milwaukee High School of the Arts, Milwaukee, WI

2005 Winners

High School Division

First Prize
Kasia Wisniewski, Milwaukee High School of the Arts, Milwaukee, WI
"I Am Called to the Work: The Confederate Women's Cause as a Feminist Movement"

Second Prize
Sandra Prieto, High School of American Studies at Lehman College, Bronx, NY
"Lies and Consequences: Southern Media During the Civil War"

Third Prize
Nancy A. Sako, Notre Dame School, New York, NY
"Whistling Dixie . . . And the Role of Songs During the Civil War Era"

Honorable Mention
in alphabetical order
Elizabeth Chavez, Notre Dame School, New York, NY
Sean Dzierzanowski, Paint Branch High School, Burtonsville, MD
Davida Fernandez-Barkan, Milwaukee High School of the Arts, Milwaukee, WI
Alejandra Lima, Cobble Hill School of American Studies, Brooklyn, NY
Crystal Lipek, Milwaukee High School of the Arts, Milwaukee, WI
Tom Wong, Patchogue-Medford High School, Medford, NY

2004 Winners

High School Division

First Prize
Chaltin Pagan, Notre Dame School, New York, NY
"Colonel Elmer Ellsworth: Influential Stranger"

Second Prize
Cynthia Leal, Academy of American Studies, Long Island City, NY
"The Spark"

Third Prize
Riti Chavez, Notre Dame School, New York, NY
"Building Unity In a Nation"

Honorable Mention 
in alphabetical order
Stephen Bruno, Salesian High School, New Rochelle, NY
Joseph Casano, Salesian High School, New Rochelle, NY
Sana Fayyaz, Abraham Lincoln High School, Brooklyn, NY
Phillip Marcus, All Hallows High School, Bronx, NY
Cara Romano, Academy of American Studies, Long Island City, NY
Karla Rubio, Academy of American Studies, Long Island City, NY
Andrew Torres, All Hallows High School, Bronx, NY

2003 Winners

High School Division

First Prize
Latrisha Desrosier, Notre Dame School, New York, NY
"Union Blue on the Ocean Blue"

Second Prize
Matthew Stukalin, Academy of American Studies, Long Island City, NY
"The New York City Draft Riots"

Third Prize
Rachel Beller, Patchogue-Medford High School, Medford, NY
"Europe and the Civil War"

Honorable Mention
in alphabetical order
Theodore Christian, All Hallows High School, Bronx, NY
Matthew Frankel, Academy of American Studies, Long Island City, NY
Clyde Guilamo, All Hallows High School, Bronx, NY
Sarah Holt, Milwaukee High School of the Arts, Milwaukee, WI
Ya Min Li, Fort Hamilton High School, Brooklyn, NY
Rayhen Rivera, Salesian High School, New Rochelle, NY
Christina Wong, Academy of American Studies, Long Island City, NY

2002 Winners

High School Division

First Prize
Rebecca Rider, Academy of American Studies, Long Island City, NY
"Selling the Civil War"

Second Prize
Gemma Birnbaum, Academy of American Studies, Long Island City, NY
"How did the Confederate Constitution Compare to the United States Constitution?"

Third Prize
Lance Medow, Abraham Lincoln High School, Brooklyn, NY
"The Suspension of Habeas Corpus"

Honorable Mention
in alphabetical order
Gregory Beattie, Academy of American Studies, Long Island City, NY
Vanessa Marie Castro, Notre Dame High School, New York, NY
Caitlin Devlin, Notre Dame High School, New York, NY
Thomas Medina, Academy of American Studies, Long Island City, NY
Dayanara Perez, Notre Dame High School, New York, NY
Natalie Song, Academy of American Studies, Long Island City, NY
Michael (Ming Chong) Yuan, Academy of American Studies, Long Island City, NY

2001 Winners

High School Division

First Prize
Bhimish (Ben) Shah, The Academy of American Studies, Long Island City, NY
"Motivations For War: A Soldier's Perspective"

Second Prize
Eda Pepi, Forest Hills High School, Queens, NY
"Mutualism and Controversy: Music in the Civil War"

Third Prize
Sean Donovan, Salesian High School, New Rochelle, NY
"Forward or Backward? The Story of John Brown and the ‘Steel Trap’"

Honorable Mention
in alphabetical order
Michael Dettmer, Salesian High School, New Rochelle, NY
Nasir Doha, The Academy of American Studies, Long Island City, NY
Jamie Hernandez, Notre Dame School, New York, NY
Justin Manauthon, Cobble Hill School of American Studies, Brooklyn, NY
Cammy Mascainas, The Academy of American Studies, Long Island City, NY
Rizky Ridwan, Seward Park High School, New York, NY
Eva Tounas, The Academy of American Studies, Long Island City, NY

2000 Winners

High School Division

First Prize
Loredana Purnavel, The Academy of American Studies, Long Island City, NY
"The American Civil War"

Second Prize
Mary Mieles, Cobble Hill School of American Studies, Brooklyn, NY
"The Music of the Civil War"

Third Prize
Erin Sullivan, New Dorp High School, Staten Island, NY
"Women Who Fought in the Civil War"

Honorable Mention
in alphabetical order
J’Nelle Bobb-Semple, The Academy of American Studies, Long Island City, NY
Mark Cevallos, The Academy of American Studies, Long Island City, NY
Roger Choi, Seward Park High School, New York, NY
Sandra Cruz, The Academy of American Studies, Long Island City, NY
Jennifer Jhun, The Academy of American Studies, Long Island City, NY
Noushad Kashem, Seward Park High School, New Yok, NY
Marlen Morales, Seward Park High School, New York, NY
Elysia Perez, Notre Dame School, New York, NY
Tenessa Lee Roizman, The Academy of American Studies, Long Island City, NY