The fourth grade is the one that has been designated by state educational authorities to emphasize the study of California history.  As an incentive to encourage students in this grade to develop a particular interest in the subject, and encourage them to improve their writing skills, since 1939, many of our parlors in each District sponsor essay contests for the fourth-grade students.

There is a great flexibility in topics that the students are permitted to select, and parlors are encouraged to be as generous and variable as possible in offering supplementary prizes to help promote student participation.

The winning student and their teacher from each District receive a monetary prize.  All students receive a certificate of participation.  Each year, an overall statewide essay contest winner is selected, who also wins a monetary prize.

The winning student’s essay is published in our statewide newspaper and the essay and the student’s photo are displayed for the coming year at our museum in Colombia State Park.   There is a perpetual plaque at the museum for all winners.

For specific details concerning the essay contest, please contact Donna Fletcher (650) 755-5518 or email [email protected]

 

THADDEUS RANEY ANDERSON 4^th Grade Essay Winner

Thaddeus Raney Anderson of Arboga Elementary School in Marysville won the Grand Prize in our 2025 4^th Grade Essay Contest with the following essay.  Thaddeus's teacher is Ms. Flood.

 

The Jewel of California

Every year around 4 million people visit Yosemite National Park. About 120 years ago, John Muir wrote articles and books about the beauty of this place to help protect It from overgrazing and pollution. He wanted the Yosemite Valley and the Hatch Hetchy Valley to be preserved for generations to come.

If It wasn't for Muir, our generation probably wouldn't get the chance to see a Sequoia. Developers were felling these giant trees for fence posts. The Sequoias only grew in California and some of them were over 2,000 years old. If they weren't protected soon, they would go extinct. Muir pleaded with the government to preserve the trees.

Without Muir's influence, Yosemite wouldn't be so scenic. Settlers were moving into the beautiful wilderness and polluting it. Thankfully, when John Muir went on a camping trip with Theodore Roosevelt, he convinced the president to expand and further preserve Yosemite National Park. His mission was successful. In 1906, President Roosevelt made Yosemite Valley part of the national park so that it would be protected from settlers and the sheep that were overgrazing It. He also protected the Sequoias. Sadly, the Hatch Hetchy Valley did not get the same protection, and people turned it into a reservoir. Thanks to John Muir, I have had the opportunity to visit Yosemite, see the amazing Sequoias, and hike some of the most famous trails. It's my goal to one day hike the legendary Half Dome, Yosemite's crowning feature.