When Asher Ermentrout learned about the 2024 Essay Contest for the Fourth Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals, he jumped on the opportunity to learn more about a famous U.S. Supreme Court decision and flex his writing skills. As a freshman competing against high schoolers of all ages from five states, he was undeterred.

This year's contest was based on Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954), in which the Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools violates the United States Constitution. Students were invited to consider and share their thoughts on the question: "Has the decision in Brown, viewed through the lens of 2024, achieved its purpose of ensuring equal opportunity in public education?"

In August, the Fourth Circuit announced the winners of the contest, and Asher came in third place. In addition to the honor itself, Asher won $1,000 and an invitation to the awards ceremony, which was part of the Constitution Day program at the Lewis F. Powell, Jr. U.S. Courthouse in Richmond, Virginia in September.

We wanted to congratulate Asher on his award, learn more about his process, and find out what he's up to this year. Here's our interview.

GMS: Asher, congratulations! We love seeing your name on that plaque. How did you learn about the contest and what made you decide to participate?

AE: I learned about the contest through my dad, who is on an email list for the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. I chose to participate because I thought it would be fun to learn more about Brown v. Board and spend some of my extra time at school being productive.

GMS: What about the essay prompt, “Has the decision in Brown, viewed through the lens of 2024, achieved its purpose of ensuring equal opportunity in public education?” interested you? 

AE: I was interested in researching public education and understanding how cases like Brown can have such significant impacts on society. The prompt provided leeway to explore different aspects of the case’s impact, of which there are many.

GMS: You have experience as a student in both conventional public education and independent Montessori education. How did your Montessori education prepare you to form and share your opinion in your essay?

AE: My Montessori education helped me to think about the prompt from various points of view, incorporating different ideas to form one cohesive piece.

GMS: You wrote your essay as a freshman. (And we have to point out that the first and second place winners were Juniors at the time of writing ... way to go, Asher!) Can you tell us more about your freshman year. Looking back at the year, how did your time at GMS prepare you to succeed in high school?

AE: My time at GMS helped prepare me to succeed in high school by giving me ample opportunities to learn and grow with a supportive community. Additionally, GMS helped me to develop my writing and researching skills that I used to write my essay.

GMS: You're now a sophomore. What classes are you taking, and do you have any goals for the year?

AE: I’m taking Honors English 2, Honors Chemistry, Honors Economics, Honors Spanish 4, AP Precalculus, and AP European History. My goals for sophomore year are to further develop my writing skills and to work more on Spanish.

DW: The thing I miss most about GMS is the community. The teachers, parents, and students are always there for each other, and it makes for a great environment to learn.