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St. Mary of the Hills School in Milton is celebrating its sixth successful year in The Bostonian Society and Boston Duck Tours Essay Contest. In this statewide competition, St. Marys brought home first, second and third place for the fifth- and sixth-grade division as well as the seventh- and eighth-grade division. Seventh-grader Elise Ferguson of Randolph earned first place for her division with an essay on loyalism. Eighth-grader Aoidin Salmon of Milton took second place, while eighth-grader Colson Ganthier of Milton placed third. The seventh- and eighth-grade classes edited their submissions under the instruction of English teacher Colin Flaherty. The middle school students also did well in their division with Kevin Gallius of Milton and Jenysis Pitter of Hyde Park, winning the first- and third-place prizes, while sixth- grader Anna McANulty of Milton took home second place. Fifth- and sixth-grade students wrote and revised these essays under the instruction of Christine Norton. This is the second year in a row that St. Marys has swept the competition with a first-, second- and third-place victory. Its also the sixth year in a row that a St. Marys student has won the grand prize. The Bostonian Society and Boston Duck Tours honored students during an assembly at St. Marys on Jan. 20. Jim Healy of the Boston Historical Society congratulated students and gifted them with awards. In addition to earning a free Duck Tour for her entire class, contest winner Elise Ferguson won $1,000 to put towards her school tuition. Kevin Gallius earned his class a free Duck Tour for placing first in the fifth- and sixth-grade division. In this years essay contest, the Bostonian Society and Boston Duck Tours have encouraged the students to think outside of the box as they were asked to sympathize with a loyalist point of view during the American Revolution. The contest also tasked students with discussing historical sites that preserve the loyalist traditions. To prepare his students, Faherty had his classroom review expository five paragraph writing, a style of essay used to present a topic in a straightforward and logical manner. American history is the focus of the seventh- and eighth-grade social studies curriculum. The research ranged from textbooks to websites and essays were peer reviewed. The parochial schools who enter the contest always do exceptionally well when it comes to writing, said Jim Healy. St. Marys credits the success of their students to the heavy focus on literature and writing they received from the schools language curriculum. Professors from the history departments of Northeastern and Suffolk University judged thousands of submissions to choose these winners. After studying local history in depth, Faherty and Nortons students will see Bostons sites firsthand, once again. Although Norton could probably narrate the whole tour by now, she is excited to continue the legacy of St. Marys with the Boston Duck Tours. They will travel to the city this spring to view the city on a Boston Duck Tour.

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St. Mary of the Hills wins essay contest - Wicked Local Dedham