Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) students were recently given the opportunity to participate in the 390th St. Mary’s City annual Maryland Day Celebration set for Saturday, March 23. A CCPS fourth-grade student is selected annually through an essay contest to represent the school system and Charles County at the celebration. Students submitted essay responses to the prompt, “What makes Charles County a great place to live?” The finalist is selected by a panel of judges from the CCPS department of teaching and learning who review and score all submissions for content, support and mechanics. Fourth grader Earl Sorsby IV at Mary B. Neal Elementary School was selected to represent Charles County in this year’s Maryland Day Celebration. “I was surprised because I thought since a lot of other people were doing the essay contest, somebody else might win,” Sorsby said. “I was going to be proud of myself if I lost so I was surprised when I won.” In his essay, he explained the notable places in Charles County that make the county “a great place to live.” He mentioned Laurel Springs Regional Park to watch kids like him play baseball in the Charles County Youth League, Pisgah Park for reading a book on the Story Trail, and Sorsby’s favorite, Mallows Bay, for kayaking and to see sunken ships. Sorsby and his family also enjoy going to Shlagel Farms for a fun day of strawberry and blackberry picking to eat the fruit or make desserts out of it. “We usually eat half of what we pick and make desserts like sherbert, cake or milkshakes with the rest of them,” he said. “I was very proud because Earl has overcome so much with his writing and I was very pleased that he took the time to write for the contest,” Cara Shattuck, Sorsby’s fourth-grade teacher at Neal, said. “He showed great stamina and effort with his writing skills that he had struggled with in the past.” As the Charles County representative, Sorsby will present a flag before a podium of dignitaries during the flag ceremony at the Maryland Day Celebration on Saturday, March 23 at Historic St. Mary’s City at 1 p.m. Historic St. Mary’s City is located at 18751 Hogaboom Lane St. Mary's City, 20686. “I’m excited because this is something that I’ve never done,” Sorsby said about the Maryland Day celebration. “I’m excited to represent Charles County.”