Society of Mayflower Descendants
in
South Carolina
Organized August 11, 1938 at Greenville, South Carolina
Mayflower Essay (Book Report) Competition
for Elementary and Middle School Students
In the continuing effort on the part of the SC Mayflower Society to educate our junior members about their Mayflower heritage, elementary/middle school students will have an opportunity to compete in a book report contest. There are two awards, one for elementary students and a second for middle school students.
We would like to thank all of the children who entered the contest and who showed an interest in the Mayflower Society. Selecting only one winner from each category was a very tough task and took a great deal of deliberation!
Please congratulate our 2009 winners:
John Kennely McDonald - Middle School
John wrote his essay on the book, The Journal of Jasper Jonathan Pierce: A Pilgrim Boy. John is a rising 8th grade student at Cario Middle School in Mt. Pleasant.
The focus of John's essay is "life on the ship" and he spoke from the voice of Jasper Jonathan Pierce. "Sickness was common." "The series of storms throughout our voyage were brutal. During the storms, we all had to stay down below deck. John Howland said he was going on the deck. Many people warned him but he didn't listen. He opened the hatch and climbed up. 'Oh, the air!' (p.20) we heard him shout. Then a new blast of wind came and we heard cries of 'Man overboard!' (p. 20) John was rescued but he was freezing and coughing. His skin was pale white. The storm made the boat turn on its side. I worried down below the deck."
Strahley Benson - Elementary School
Strahley reported on the book On the Mayflower by Kate Waters. A rising 4th grader at Brockman Montessori Elementary in Columbia, Strahley wrote her report from the perspective of Ellen Moore an 8 year old passenger on the Mayflower. Ellen Moore's story, as told by Strahley, describes what it was like to live for 65 days on board ship. "These days are long and boring on this ship. I try to stay busy. Besides keeping up with my sister and brothers I love to play games with them and the other children."
John and Strahley each received a $500 US Savings Bond.