DAR Winners!
Elena & Harli
Woodland Academy’s Academic Director, Bev Horn, recently had the honor to announce that two Woodland Academy students, Elena Runkle, grade five, and Harli Ingram, grade six, both students of teachers, Lois Kilpatrick and Julia Jones, took First Place in this year’s Daughters of the American Revolution essay competition at the Chantilly, Virginia, chapter level.
Each year, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the volunteer women's service group devoted to upholding patriotism, conserving America’s past, and safeguarding America's future through better education for children, holds its annual essay contest. Students from public, private, and parochial schools, as well as registered home-study programs, grades five through eight, are encouraged to participate. The topic this year was Paul Revere as this is the 275th anniversary of his birth. The essays must be the student’s original work and are based on his or her historical research of the topic. The winners from each D.A.R. chapter then move on to compete at the state level. Judges base their decisions on historical accuracy, originality, spelling, grammar, and other stringent criteria.
Elena, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Runkle, is on Woodland’s Scholar’s List, and is also an accomplished singer and actress. She recently appeared in the Westmoreland Players production of “Annie.” Harli, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Matt Ingram, is on the Academy’s Honor Roll, and is a regular participant in the Northern Neck Regional Governor’s School held each summer. She is also the winner of Woodland Academy’s “Excellence in Art” award.
Both students were excited to learn of their awards, and each will receive a certificate of merit, a monetary reward and a bronze medal from the D.A.R. at Woodland Academy’s upcoming science fair in the spring.