Virginia Hooton, daughter of Janice and Jerry Hooton, won first place in the DAR Essay Contest sponsored in Brunswick, Lunenburg and Mecklenburg counties by the William Taylor Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. Virginia, daughter of Janice and Jerry Hooton, is a sixth-grade student at Lunenburg Middle School.

This year’s prescribed essay title was “The Women’s Suffrage Campaign.” Students entering the contest were to research and discuss the pros and cons of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution that took place in 1920. This amendment allowed women the right to vote and hold office. Students were then challenged to imagine that they were living in 1919 while the women’s suffrage campaigns were having both political and social impact on Americans.

Each year the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution announces a new topic for an essay contest in grades 5-8. The William Taylor Chapter will again provide information to area schools to encourage entries for the 2019-2020 contest.