Presidio fourth-graders sweep DRT contest, twice

PRESIDIO In their annual Texas Independence Day contest for elementary school students K-5, the Daughters of the Republic of Texas selected six Presidio Elementary School 4th graders to represent DRT Region 10 (all of west Texas).

John Chitwood, fourth grade social studies teacher, used the contest as a research project for all of his students.

The contest rules required that students depict a historical event from the region during the 1836-1850 time period.

The posters ranged from missions in the Rio Grande valley, to the indigenous tribes of the area, commerce in Presidio, the Chihuahua Trail and to Cabeza de Vaca.

The DRT contest committee pored over all the entries and decided to honor two Presidio artists for each of the first, second and third place awards.

Tied for first were: Maria Escontrias Lopez and Noemi Santillan.

The second place winners were: Cesar Armendariz and Alejandra Dominguez.

Tied for third were: Salomon Santillan and Alicia Venegas.

Each winner received a ribbon and certificate for their effort. In addition the first place winners received checks for $50, second place $30 and third place $20.

A lively and supportive group of parents accompanied these students to a special Open House in Austin where the winners were guests of honor.

A special touch at the March 1 event at the Republic of Texas Museum in Austin was the first ever viewing of the chair used by Mexican Presidente Antonio Lopez (no relation to Maria) de Santa Anna in the Presidential Palace in Mexico City.

Parents able to attend the gala were: Obed and Celia Escontrias Lopez, Efren and Patricia Venegas, Velia Dominguez and Salomon and Marivel Santillan.

The entire group was accompanied by sponsor and teacher John Chitwood.