Pacific Grove High School

Lydia Darragh:
An Important Revolutionist

Lydia Barrington Darragh was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1729. Lydia Barrington married William Darragh, a friend of her family, in 1753. After a few years, the Darragh’s moved to a Quaker community in Philadelphia. William worked as a tutor while Lydia stayed at home and, together, they raised 5 children. During the American Revolution, most Quakers were neutral and did not support either side, but the Darraghs secretly agreed with the Patriot’s freedom cause.

Congratulations to Pacific Grove High School senior Elle Defensor who was awarded a $2,500 STAR Scholarship from the Philanthropic Educational Organization (PEO) Sisterhood during the school’s Senior Awards Night May 18^th. STAR Scholarships are for women “who exhibit excellence in leadership, academics, extracurricular activities, community service and potential for future success” according to PEO.

Cedar Street Times is proud to announce our next scholastic English essay contest is open to Pacific Grove High School students, Pacific Grove Middle School Students, and Monterey Bay Charter School students.

The theme of this contest is “Lesser-known figures of the American Revolution”. Each essay will be a short biography of some person who is not well known that participated in the American Revolution from 1770-1783. You can choose anyone – Patriot or Loyalist, young or old, male or female, free or slave. Tell us who they are, where they lived, what they did and why they did it.

Essays must be no more than 600 words, must contain at least 3 paragraphs; and all references (at least 2) should be listed at the end, followed by your name, grade, school and date.

You may not plagiarize nor cut and paste text from any source. The writing must be your own. You cannot get help from parents or teachers except to understand the rules. You all agree to abide by these rules under the honor system. We trust you.

Essays will be graded 1/3 on grammar and punctuation, 1/3 on style and syntax, and 1/3 on story-telling and “lesser-knownness” (if you write about George Washington, you will not win!)

Essay entries must be emailed to Cedarstreettimes@gmail.com with a Subject Line of “Essay Contest” no later than noon Tuesday June 22. Winning entries will be printed in the June 25 issue of the Cedar Street Times—in time for Independence Day celebrations.

We now have sponsors for $100 First Prize, $50 Second Prize, and $25 Third Prize. We may also solicit prize money for Honorable Mentions. If you are interested in being a sponsor, call Gary at 831-324-4742 or email cedarstreettimes@gmail.com. Sponsors will receive recognition in print along with the essays.

Native Pagrovian Caroline Coen is an alumna of Robert Down Elementary and Pacific Grove Middle School. A National Merit Scholar and US Presidential Scholar nominee, she published a novel, The Angel Oak, in 2020. She has served on the Feast of Lanterns Royal Court (Queen Topaz 2019), as a volunteer at the PG Library, and as founder of a free camp for children, WAVE Writers, an offering of the WAVE program. A flutist, she serves as the PG High School Drum Major. She is also editor of the school’s newspaper and yearbook. A four-sport varsity athlete (cross country, tennis, soccer, and track), Caroline qualified for the 2019 XC State Championships. Caroline plans to study English and statistics.

An alumna of Robert Down Elementary and Pacific Grove Middle School, Eva Mills has been balancing academics and athletics for many years. At Pacific Grove High School, she is a three-season varsity athlete on the water polo, basketball, and swim teams. In addition to her school and sports commitments, Eva works part-time as a tutor and is active in campus clubs including the National Honor Society and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She plans to study Environmental Science and Policy at a four-year university.

Gaby Giraldo has enjoyed being a leader on and off the field at Pacific Grove High School.  She was sophomore and junior class president and during senior year was president of both the Associated Student Body and National Honor Society.  She was varsity soccer team captain for three years, being named the League’s Midfielder of the Year as a freshman, a first-team All-League selection all three years, and twice All-CCS Honorable Mention.  Gaby attended Forest Grove (with the exception of a semester abroad in England in fourth grade) and PGMS.  She plans to study Political Science in college and pursue a career in public service.