Two Sixth Formers, both students of A level History, have achieved a remarkable double success for Harrodian by winning the top prizes in a national writing competition run by the British Association for American Studies (BAAS).
The BAAS exists to promote, support and encourage the study of the United States in the in UK educational institutions and Thomas won first prize in its prestigious annual Essay Writing Competition with his analysis of the landmark American TV show, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, starring Will Smith. ‘This essay was well-structured and offered a thoughtful and compelling argument from start to finish, showing how Black experiences were represented (in the series),’ the judges enthused, describing Thomas’s work as ‘well-researched, written and referenced’.
The Fresh Prince of Bel Air is a sitcom so you might not expect that much in the way of insights into the black experience in America. ‘But actually, it throws up all sorts of challenging questions.
Thomas, Harrodian Sixth Former and BAAS Essay Prize winner
Sammy, was runner up in the competition with his essay that reassessed the controversy surrounding the USA’s decision to set up internment camps for Japanese-born American citizens during World War Two.
The students were encouraged to enter the competition by their A Level History teacher, Ms Simone Cheshire and Thomas is pleased he decided to take the challenge on.’The Fresh Prince of Bel Air is a sitcom so you might not expect that much in the way of insights into the black experience in America,’ says Thomas. ‘But actually, it throws up all sorts of challenging questions that are still relevant 30 years after it aired.’
The research and writing forced me to embark on my own, real independent research for the first time. That’s great practice for studying at university.
Sammy, Harrodian Sixth Former and BAAS Essay Prize runner up
Sammy also found the experience useful and enjoyable. ‘As well as enabling me to discover a story I knew little about and which deserves to be told, the research and writing forced me to embark on real own independent research for the first time,’ he says. ‘That’s great practice for studying at university.’
Ms Cheshire is naturally proud of the two boys’ achievements….