"The Year Coronavirus Came to Town" was the assignment for Montauk School students in this year's Montauk Historical Society Essay and Original Artwork Competition.
The top prizes in the essay category were awarded to Griffin Beckman, Cassandra Ceva, and Maya Taveras. "I was so touched by the way the kids opened their hearts to write their essays," said Mia Certic, the director of the historical society. She is hoping, she said, that the competition helped the students to "hone their skills" to participate in something as large scale as the New York State Archives Student Research Awards.
In the original artwork category, top prizes were awarded to Priscilla Villarreal, Audrey Smith, and Sofia Pantosin. Students who won first prize received a family membership to the Montauk Historical Society and a private tour of the Montauk Lighthouse. Second prize won a family membership to the society and a T-shirt of their choice, while honorable mentions got passes to the Lighthouse.
"The competition is an annual event, but it was something that hadn't been done for a while. It was brought back by Ann Joyce, a former board member." said Ms. Certic. "We are chartered by New York State as an educational nonprofit, so we feel that it is a very important part of our mission to be a part of the school to the extent that we can."
Upcoming events for kids are in the works at the society. "Anything to make history more relevant and interesting to kids is fantastic," Ms. Certic said.