By Paige Drummond
On Saturday, June 20, the winners of a patriotic art competition held by the Evesham Historical Society for grades fourth through eighth throughout Evesham Township were honored at the John Inskeep House for their outstanding work. The competition was themed “What the Declaration of Independence Means to Me” and was held in honor of America’s 250th anniversary.
The events of the day consisted of tours of the historic John Inskeep House, handing out certificates to the winners of the competition, and perusing the children’s artwork on display, all while refreshments were provided on the porch. However, today was not the only day that the children were honored for their hard work, as the prize for the ten winners of the competition was a field trip to the Old Barracks Museum in Trenton.
The field trip to the museum was the initial inspiration that kicked off the development of this contest. Vice President of the Evesham Historical Society, Kathy Devlin stated “What I was looking to do is get the kids on a field trip, a history field trip, because [the students] don’t take many field trips here.” This took Kathy into the next phase of putting this event in action, which was getting into contact with her neighbor, Evesham Township teacher, Angela Masson.
The theme for the competition stemmed from the desire “to do something that was making a connection for kids to the Declaration of Independence. Because it’s so antiquated, it can seem removed from their everyday lives,” according to Masson. Through Masson and Devlin’s collaboration, they were able to curate a successful contest that ended in a field trip. “They had a wonderful time at the Trenton Barracks,” said Devlin.
It is clearly seen through the 42 entries that were submitted to the competition that the children really were able to apply the Declaration of Independence to their lives and their families. “The kids were fabulous. Their artwork was great. Their thought process was great. You could see their patriotism and that they were taking that part of it seriously, which we’re happy about” Devlin elaborates.
When asked if an event like this would be considered again in the future, the question was met with enthusiasm on all fronts. “Absolutely,” Masson added. “I’m a teacher by nature. So that’s just my wheelhouse.”