KO Students Win Top Prizes in Constitution Essay Contest

Kingswood Oxford students won two out of the top three prizes in a Constitution essay contest sponsored jointly by the Hartford law firm Murtha Cullina and the WALKS Foundation, an organization made up of five local independent schools.   

Alexandra Stanton ’14 of West Hartford took the top prize in the competition, while Sophia Kruger ’14, also of West Hartford, came in third. Victoria Smith from Loomis Chaffee placed second. This is the third time in the past four years that a KO student has come in first.

The contest, now in its 51st year, is open to junior history students at the five WALKS schools – Westminster, Avon Old Farms, Loomis Chaffee, Kingswood Oxford, and Suffield Academy.  Two finalists were selected from each school to advance in the competition. This year’s topic was “Executive War Powers and National Security.”  

The winners were chosen by Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen, who also offered remarks at the awards dinner. Finalists received certificates of merit plus a copy of A Wicked War: Polk, Clay, Lincoln, and the U.S. Invasion of Mexico, by Amy S. Greenberg. Stanton also received a cash award of $200.  

The WALKS Foundation was organized in 1956 to strengthen and broaden the scope of secondary education. The Constitution Essay Contest was established in 1962 to encourage study and understanding of the Constitution.