Rogers High School Seniors Win George Washington Letter Essay Contest
NEWPORT, RI — Rogers High School in Newport earlier this month announced the winners and honorable mentions in this year’s George Washington Letter essay contest.
In 1790, Washington wrote a now famous letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, reassuring them that the government would not interfere with people in matters of religious conscience and belief. Today, Washington’s letter is regarded as one of the most succinct statements of what religious freedom means in the United States.
The power of George Washington’s letter led former ambassador to Denmark John Loeb Jr to donate $50,000 to Rogers High School to establish a George Washington Letter essay contest.
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“Congratulations to this year’s Rogers seniors winners and their essays about the importance of religious freedom and freedom of conscience,” Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain said. “Thank you to our Rogers High School history teachers and department chair, Mrs. Turner for organizing this contest and sharing the teaching about the importance of President Washington’s letter. This extraordinary opportunity is a very special one for our students and RHS. We appreciate so much this generous donation and its spirit continuing throughout the years at RHS for our present and future Vikings.”
See the list of this year’s essay winners below:
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