Politically Aware

The religious beliefs of the Founding Fathers was the topic of the winning essay by University School senior Dylan Zabell in the school's 26th annual Political Awareness Essay Competition.  The awards ceremony was held recently at the Hunting Valley Campus.

In his essay, One Nation Under Reason: The Founding Fathers and Deism, Dylan makes the case that the religious view of the Founding Fathers has often been misconstrued.  He argues that while many believe that the founders were Orthodox Christians, some of the most prominent ones were actually secularists and atheists.

The second place winner of the political essay contest was senior Alexander Smith whose essay was entitled, The Mission Civilisatrice: From Ferry to Foulards. The third place prize was awarded to senior, Rahul Singh  for his essay, General War or General's War?

Honorable mentions went to three students: sophomore Rahul Raj for his essay entitled: Social Networking and Privacy; Senior Akaljot Singh for New Horizons: A Call for a Radical Military Strategy in Asia, and sophomore William Walker for his essay entitled: The Abolition of Capital Punishment and the Preservation of American Values.

The contest, which is open to all Upper School students, is aimed at stimulating political awareness and encouraging students to think and write clearly about issues in politics. The essays, from 1,000 to 2,000 words in length, must demonstrate original research and are judged on the basis of logical and imaginative thinking and the expression of thoughts in a clear, provocative style.

This year, University School welcomed H. Baker Spring, US class of 1976, as the guest speaker. Mr. Spring is Senior Defense Policy Analyst at The Heritage Foundation and former adviser on defense and foreign policy issues to two U.S. Senators. He is an expert on defense policy and arms control with special expertise on missile defense and chemical and biological warfare policy. Mr. Spring is a graduate of Washington and Lee University and received his M.A. in national security studies from Georgetown University.

University School's Class of 1935 established the Political Awareness Essay Competition in 1985. At its 50th reunion, the class wanted to give a lasting gift to the school that would academically inspire the students. They decided to endow a political essay prize, which would create interest in political matters and encourage boys to think and write about them logically and passionately.

The first place winner's name is engraved on a Revere bowl and on a citation plaque, which are on permanent display in the Upper School Director's office. First, second, and third place winners also receive monetary awards.