SEB Middle’s Max Greene wins sixth-grade level of contest; advances to nationals
A Southeast Bulloch Middle School student is Georgia’s sixth-grade level winner for the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) Essay Contest.
Max Greene, who advanced through the competition’s school, county, district and state levels of the contest, will now advance to the national level. To celebrate his accomplishment, the local Archibald Bulloch Chapter of the NSDAR extended an invitation to Max, his family, his social studies teacher, and school district personnel to attend its Georgia Day Luncheon on Thursday, February 13, in the Statesboro First Baptist Church social hall.
As a state winner, Max will receive a certificate and a monetary award of $250. These will be presented to him during the Education Luncheon which will be held during the Georgia State Society state conference March 20-23.
“The judges thoroughly enjoyed reading your (Max’s) essay on the Tea Ladies of Edenton, NC,” said Debbie Garrett Bush, Chair of the American History Committee of the Georgia State Society chapter of the NSDAR in the official letter that Max received announcing his win.
The Tea Ladies were a group of women who protested the Tea Act of 1773 by boycotting British tea and cloth. Their efforts became known as the Edenton Tea Party. It was their story that was used by the NSDAR for its essay contest writing prompt, “Enjoying A New Kind of Tea Party.” The annual contest is open to fifth through eighth-grade students who may submit a 500 to 1000-word essay depending on their grade level.
Max read his 600-word essay to the nearly 150 guests who gathered for the luncheon. In keeping with the contest’s prompt, he wrote the essay as if he were one of the 51 colonial women who formed the Edenton Ladies’ Patriotic Guild following the Boston Tea Party.
“Word spread like wildfire about our movement,” Max wrote in his essay. “Everyone including Britain was surprised to hear that it was a group of women causing all this ruckus. In fact, we proudly signed our names to our petition that was published in The Virginia Gazette and didn’t hide our identities like the men that were involved in the Boston Tea Party.”
Max was one of 127 sixth-grade students who participated in the contest in Bulloch County’s local public and private schools, and one of 40 whose essay advanced to the district judges who were part of Georgia Southern University’s Department of English.
The end of Max’s essay captured his understanding of the power of the pen used then by the Edenton ladies and now by him.
“The day was July 4, 1775. I was walking home and as I looked at the paper I had in my hand, I almost fainted. I did not know if the US would ever be an independent country. But to think that I had something to do with the independence of the United States is unbelievable! This campaign was an amazing feat that showed we were strong and independent women, a force to be reckoned with.
Max’s social studies teacher at SEBMS, Melissa Whiteman, his principal, Todd Veland, Ed.D., and Superintendent of Schools Charles Wilson attended the luncheon with Max as well as his parents Jeremy and Alania Greene and Dedra Greene, his paternal grandmother. The school district level of the competition was coordinated by Chris Clark, an instructional coach for Bulloch County Schools.
“We are so proud of Max for this incredible achievement and of all our students who participated in the DAR Essay Contest,” said Clark. “Their hard work and dedication to historical research and writing are truly impressive. It’s exciting to see our students engaging with history in such a meaningful way.”
