Sponsored by Goldwater Institute’s Van Sittert Center for Constitutional Advocacy, the contest challenged middle and high school students to “explore one or more key Constitutional concepts [Federalism, The Bill of Rights, Separation of Powers] in a way that highlights their importance and relevance today.” Students could choose between submitting a 1500–2500 word essay or
a 3–5 minute educational video.
Jane says she selected Federalism, the Creation of America for her topic “because early American History is very interesting to me and that also had the most talking points for the extremely long essay with a minimum of 1500 words.”
On why this topic is important to Americans today, Jane explains: “Federalism is the separation of powers between the state and the national government, so neither can become too powerful. Also, the states can have their own unique policies and government, allowing the states to experiment on these policies to see if other states want to adopt them. People can move to whichever state suits them best.”
As this was an outside-of-school contest, Jane did not receive any assistance from her teachers at school in writing her essay, but she credits her history teacher, Mr. Ryan Smith, with preparing her with strong lessons that contributed to her knowledge. “In history with Mr. Smith, we learned a lot about the creation of America. One of the clearest things he mentioned that I talked about in my essay was Shays’ Rebellion.”
Pleased to hear that the Thales Academy history lessons helped contribute to her knowledge, Mr. Smith shares, “At Thales, our 8th grade American History class focuses on both the historical context and the foundational principles that make the story of America so unique.”
On Jane as a student, Mr. Smith notes: “Jane is a student who really engages with the question of why things are the way that they are, so it is not surprising to me that she would choose to research and write about the concept of Federalism. Seeing a student wrestle with those big ideas so that they can understand and articulate them on their own very much encapsulates our efforts at Thales, and I’m really proud of Jane for this accomplishment.”
When Jane found out about winning third place, she says, “I was overwhelmed with joy that I received third place in a national essay contest. I was so proud of myself that I was able to write the longest essay I’ve ever written, 1,630 words, and do it so incredibly well.”
Thales Academy at Flowers Plantation currently serves Pre-K through 10th grade and will add 11th grade in 2026–2027 and 12th grade in 2027–2028. Tuition at Thales Academy at Flowers Plantation for 2026–2027 is $7,600 or less per year (varying by grade level), and scholarships and payment plans are available. Interested families can learn more and apply online at:
www.ThalesAcademy.org
