04/25/2026
Congratulations!
New London High School is proud to announce that junior Ruby McCartney earned 2nd place among all Wisconsin students in the 2026 American Legion Auxiliary’s Americanism essay contest. Ruby is the daughter of Chad and Tamela McCartney.
The American Legion Auxiliary promotes Americanism to today’s youth through its annual Americanism essay contest. In the contest, high school students are asked to write a 450-500 word essay. This year’s prompt was: “Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday and the Veterans Who Fought for Our Freedom.”
In her essay, Ruby McCartney saluted the contributions of America’s veterans spanning 250 years. McCartney wrote: “Today, when I think about what freedom means in 2026, I think about choices. I can attend any college that accepts me. I can become a lawyer, an engineer, even the president. I can speak my mind, control my future, and participate in democracy.” She also expounded, “None of these freedoms existed for me in 1776. They were fought for, not just on foreign battlefields, but through the struggles of veterans who came home and insisted that America live up to its original promises of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The freedom I have today is a legacy, forged by those in military uniforms. My responsibility is to honor it by using the opportunities they created and continuing their work of making America’s vision of freedom real for everyone.”
Over the past decade, New London students have done extremely well in competition against their peers across Wisconsin: Charlie Metko won first place in 2018; Olive Stein took second in 2020; Macy Reybrock earned best in the state in 2021; Mia McCartney placed second in 2024, and now Ruby with second place in 2026. Congratulations Ruby!
