Rehoboth and Lewes students awarded for Coast Day essays

Each fall, the Delaware Sea Grant College Program and the University of Delaware’s College of Earth, Ocean and Environment host the Coast Day Essay Contest for local students. This year, the three winners are from Rehoboth Elementary and Lewes Elementary schools.

The theme for this year’s contest was Weathering the Storm, and Rehoboth fifth-grader Ben Bowman earned first place with his essay about how coastal flooding impacts the area.

Joseph Bradshaw, a Lewes fifth-grader, earned second place with his account of experiencing a nor’easter. Lewes student Sophia Zhou took third place with her essay about flooding.

Students were judged on their creativity, writing skills, and grammar and spelling, as well as on the accuracy of their weather event descriptions, showing that they thoroughly researched the weather event of their choice. The essay was required to include a description of a type of extreme weather found in Delaware, information on how that weather can impact their community, and how the writers and their families can prepare.

Essay contest winners each received a bookstore gift card.