A handful of students were rewarded last night for spending the summer digging into their city's historic past.
City and school officials, corporate sponsors and families gathered at Gore Place where 67 students hailing from private and public schools as well as those who are home-schooled, were honored for their participation in Historic Waltham Inc.'s second annual essay contest.
PDF: Grade 4 and 5 winning essays
PDF: Grades 6-8 winning essays
The contest Waltham's History The Nation's History was announced in April and since then, students worked on their essays. One of the contest's rules required they use at least two city resources, such as the public library or Waltham Museum.
The essays were then screened by a committee for accuracy and the best essays were determined by a panel of three judges.
Diane LeBlanc headed the contest.
"It is our goal that every student who graduates from a Waltham school graduates with a full appreciation for the city's history and the role the city has played in shaping our nation's history," she said. "To help raise awareness, last year we rolled out this essay contest."
Under a backdrop of red, white and blue balloons, a handful of students were given certificates before the contest winners were announced.
There were two categories of awards depending on age.
In grades six through eight: John Malesevic won first place, Zena Casteel took second place, Sarah Smith captured third place and Haley Curtin received honorable mention.
In grades four and five: Cora Casteel won first place, Heather Higgins won second place, Connor Fay won third place and Donatella Carazo won honorable mention.
First-place winners received a $1,000 savings bond, second-place winners received a $500 savings bond and third-place and honorable-mention winners received a $100 bond from Benjamin Franklin Bank on Moody Street.
Malesevic, a sixth-grade student at the McDevitt Middle School, wrote his essay on Grove Hill Cemetery.
"It's a cemetery I go to a lot," he said. "(Winning) was very suspenseful. I'm just kind of happy. Only one person wins first prize."
The Kennedy Middle School also won a $1,000 prize for having the most student participation in this year's contest. Principal Jack Cawley accepted the award last night.
"At this moment I'm really proud to be part of the Kennedy community," Cawley said. "It's about the dedication of our teachers, not just to Kennedy but to Waltham."
Susan Robertson, executive director of Gore Place, wore a tri-cornered hat while speaking to students last night.
"This type of hat was worn by Gov. Gore during Revolutionary War times," she said. "Gore continued to wear this hat long after it went out of fashion. How do I know? Research. ... I can imagine he wanted to remember how far he had come and how far his country had come."
Mayor Jeannette McCarthy praised the value of the contest last night.
"History can be very much a project or it can be very fun," she said. "Tonight I'm so proud of you because you are teaching us about what you know about Waltham."
Jeff Gilbride can be reached at 781-398-8005 or at jgilbrid@cnc.com
