The pens were poised in mid-air last fall as over 5,000 Georgia students in the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grades were contemplating what to write for the Daughters of the American Revolution American History Essay Competition.

The topic, based on the founding of Jamestown, was in celebration of the 400th year of its founding. The students were instructed to imagine themselves in Jamestown and to write a letter "home to England." These essays were sent to local Daughters of the American Revolution Chapters who judged them for their originality, creativity and historical accuracy.

The winning essays from each chapter were then forwarded to the district level for judging, with those winners going to the state level.

The final four state winners, one from each grade, were honored in Savannah at the 109th NSDAR Georgia State Conference.

During the school/youth luncheon with over 270 attendees, Peachtree City Elementary student Cassandra Eldredge was recognized as the 2007 American History Essay winner for the fifth grade.

Eldredge's winning essay, along with the other three state winners, is now being judged at the Southeast District for the Daughters of the American Revolution.