Trio Of Talented South River Students Win Essay Contest

EDGEWATER, MD — Two juniors and a sophomore from South River High School in Edgewater have won the Anne Arundel County Bar Foundation's high school essay contest. Each year, the foundation invites local high school students to submit an essay about a specific legal topic.

For this year’s essay contest, students were asked to express their opinions about the U.S. Supreme Court case The American Legion v. American Humanist Association, which had not been decided when the competition was announced.

Students had to consider whether the government-funded display and maintenance of the Bladensburg Peace Cross”—a cross-shaped war memorial located at a public highway intersection in Bladensburg, Maryland—violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

For the 2019 contest, the three South River High School students snatched the top three spots. The winners are:

1st Place ($500): Alisa Slonaker, rising sophomore, South River High School

2nd Place ($250): Laney Phipps, rising junior, South River High School

3rd Place ($100): Nicole Rubilotta, rising junior, South River High School

The winning students received their awards June 24 during a special ceremony in the courtroom of the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County. The students’ families, four Circuit Court judges, numerous AABA members and South River High Principal William Myers were present for the ceremony.