Writing distinguished by voice, imagination, and impact

I’m still a black girl, and I refuse to be left blind and burning anymore

Hot Comb Heirlooms

Grade(s):

11

This essay combines personal experiences with the pressure on the author as a young black woman to have “good hair” with a broader analysis of the heritage of slavery, oppression and white conception of beauty.

Lombroso gave society a visual key for identifying people it feared

Scanty Goatees and Palmar Goatees: Cesare Lombroso's Influence on Science and Popular Opinion

Grade(s):

9

Rebecca Fleming, while a ninth grade student at Horace Mann School in Riverdale, New York authored this research paper on Cesare Lombroso and his study of criminal physiognomy.

The author was the recipient of the Ralph Waldo Emerson Prize from The Concord Review in 2000.

it is unlike any map made in China during its time

Selden Map: Provenance and Prescience

Grade(s):

11

Mark Lu, while an 11th-grade student at the Independent Schools Foundation School in Hong Kong authored this research paper on the Selden Map of China, a 17th-century map of East Asia. The paper explores an obscure topic with a conclusion that adeptly connects it to present day issues.

timekeeping devices do not really determine the hours

The Invention of the Mechanical Clock and Perceptions of Time in the 13th–15th Centuries

Grade(s):

11

Mehitabel Glenhaber, while an 11th-grade student at the Commonwealth School in Boston, Massachusetts] authored this research paper on mechanical clocks while enrolled in a Medieval World History Class. It offers a fascinating historical and philosophical view of time.

she could already smell the sweet aroma of green tea

The Day It All Began: Historical Fiction

Grade(s):

6

Sixth grade students at Friends Academy in Dartmouth, Massachusetts created historical fiction pieces as a culmination of writing and history learning.

all that was on Jane's mind were the thoughts of destruction and ruin

Wages and War: Historical Fiction

Grade(s):

6

Sixth-grade students at Friends Academy in Dartmouth, Massachusetts created historical fiction pieces as a culmination of writing and history learning.

the windiest U.S. city is Dodge City, Kansas

Weather Research Booklet: Wind!

Grade(s):

2

Second-grade students at Evergreen Community Charter School created individual research booklets about a specific weather topic as part of their “Whatever the Weather” expedition.

the love I believe in never fades

This I Believe - Joanna

Grade(s):

10

Tenth-grade students at the Springfield Renaissance School in Springfield, Massachusetts, as part of their English Language Arts class, created This I Believe essays.

it all boiled over one fateful day at lunchtime

This I Believe - Emma

Grade(s):

10

Tenth-grade students at the Springfield Renaissance School in Springfield, Massachusetts, as part of their English Language Arts class, created This I Believe essays.

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