NATCHEZ &045;&045; Hard work and research on Thomas Jefferson paid off for three Natchez students.

Marylee Williams, fifth grade; Diane Konecky, seventh grade; and Katlin Mayfield, eighth grade, all won first place in the state in their grade levels for their Daughters of the American Revolution essays.

The girls recently attended a luncheon in Jackson to collect their awards. Williams, in particular, said she’s happy with her medal, certificate and $25.

The girls will now compete in regional and national competitions.

We’ve never had more than one winner and to have three speaks well for our education system,&uot; said Gail Henry, regent of the William Dunbar chapter of the Mississippi DAR.

Williams and Mayfield are students at Trinity Episcopal Day School while Konecky attends Cathedral School. The girls competed against almost 50 other entries.

Trinity students in grades 5 through 8 were required to write an essay and enter the competition. Williams said her teacher read them the story of Thomas Jefferson during history class and they used other books to do research. She said she wrote a paragraph a week for about a month until it was done and ended up having to cut words to meet the 500-word limit. Entries were required to be in the first person, but Williams said she took it a step further. &uot;I think mine was different because I really pulled people into it,&uot; she said.

Williams said she learned a lot during the process. &uot;I didn’t know a lot about Thomas Jefferson,&uot; she said. &uot;I didn’t mind writing it, it was pretty fun.&uot;

Both Williams and Mayfield were surprised to find out they had won.

&uot;All of us really wanted to win it,&uot; Williams said. &uot;And they announced it at school. We were all standing and I started jumping up and down, I didn’t think I was going to win.&uot;

Now that she has the state competition behind her Williams is thinking more positively. &uot;If I won state I’m hoping I’ll win region and if I win national I get to go all the way to D.C.,&uot; she said. &uot;I’m not one of those glass half empty people.&uot;

Konecky said she was also hopeful about nationals. &uot;I don’t know if I’m going to win that but I hope I will,&uot; she said. Her essay was 1,000 words long and focused on Jefferson’s role in the Louisiana Purchase. Konecky said she did most of the work at home using the Internet and encyclopedias.

Mayfield said she spent about two weeks on her essay. &uot;I learned that it (the Louisiana Purchase) was one of his major accomplishments during his presidency,&uot; she said.