Essay Contest Guidelines

• All essays of 300 words or less are acceptable from grades 4 through 12. (Please only upload the winners from your school).
• After the lesson which might include the provided reading passages/activities answer the Prompt: Describe the significance of Dorothy Day in your life and explain how she has influenced you. Include specific examples, personal reflections, and the impact she has on your values, goals, or perspective. 
• A principal or teacher must submit a top school winner (two honorable mentions are permitted) onto the Google Form by Wednesday, October 21st.
• All entries on the Google Form will be recognized at the event on November 8th.
• All top winners and honorable mentions will receive a certificate.  Top prize winners will be invited to attend the Dorothy Day Guild  New York Walking tour with their families and representatives from the SI Catholic Worker in Manhattan and treated to lunch.
•  We will choose at least 3 students from Catholic schools across Staten Island to read aloud their entry at our celebration day event (if they are willing).
• All principals, teachers and students are invited to the Dorothy Day Celebration Day event on November 8th at Our Lady Help of Christians Parish.
• We encourage all teachers to make learning about Dorothy Day part of their Religion, ELA and Social Studies/History lessons in order to inspire students to enter the contest.  
• Email us anytime with questions or for more information at DorothyDayHouseSI@gmail.com

Teacher Resources

Religion

Spiritual & Corporal Works of Mercy 

The Works of Mercy – Catholic Worker Movement 

Social Studies/History 

Dorothy Day (1897–1980) is a significant figure in U.S. social history as a journalist, social activist, pacifist, and devout Catholic whose life and work reflect key themes in social studies: social justice, civil rights, labor rights, and the role of religion in public life 

NCHE – National Council on History Education – Grades 6 – 12 

Fighting Poverty and Injustice: Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker Movement – ncheteach.org

ELA – Dorothy Day Biography -Grades 4-7 Includes

 Worksheet activities & Answer Keys (email DorothyDayHouseSI@gmail.com for a copy)

Optional Reading List

Dorothy and the Great Quake: A Story about Dorothy Day as a Young Girl (2019)

• Reading Age: 3 to 9 years old (grades PreK – 4)
• Details: This 36-page book tells the true story of Dorothy and her neighbors in 1906 when the massive San Francisco earthquake shook their town. It shows how the community came together to help one another with food, water, clothing, and shelter.
• Where to find it: Purchase or review this book via Catholic Worker Books or Amazon.

Dorothy Day: A Catholic Life of Action (2004)

• Reading Age: 7 to 12 years old (Grades 4-6)
• Details: Part of the Spiritual Biographies for Young Readers series, this 32-page book explores how Dorothy’s childhood and her subsequent life’s work demonstrated that everyone can make the world a better place. It includes engaging activities inspired by her efforts to feed and house the homeless.

Dorothy Day: Friend to the Forgotten (Women of Spirit) -by Deborah Kent

• Reading Age: 12 to 17 yeard old (Grades 7 -12)
• Details: The fascinating story of Dorothy Day (1897-1980), known the world over as the founder and leader of the Catholic Worker movement. Deborah Kent scrupulously chronicles Day’s life, from her early years to her conversion and onward, and shows how Day sought to fuse her deep commitment to God with her passion for community service and social justice.
• Where to find it: . Kindle edition by Kent, Deborah. Children Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.  

Dorothy Day: Radical Devotion   by Jeffry Odell Korgen (Author), Friar Mike Lasky OFM Conv. Christopher Cardinale (Illustrator)  Format: Paperback

• Reading Age: 13 +  (Grades 9 -12)
• Details: Dorothy Day: Radical Devotion introduces readers to the amazing life of Dorothy Day, reviews her impact on the church and peace and justice movements, and provides an informative understanding of the process of canonization.     

Staten Island Facts about Dorothy Day

• Dorothy Day and Staten Island
• Dorothy Day (1897–1980), co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement and editor of The Catholic Worker newspaper, had a deep and enduring connection to Staten Island, particularly its South Shore.
• Early Staten Island years
  In 1924, Day moved to Staten Island’s South Shore, buying a tin‑roofed fisherman’s shack near Raritan Bay. She described the area as “down here near the end of Staten Island,” a tolerant, bohemian, and international neighborhood The Gotham Center for New York City History. This was the setting for her romance with Forster Batterham, the birth of her daughter Tamar in 1927, and her conversion to Catholicism later that year Historic Districts Council’s Six to Celebrate. She lived there until 1931, when she moved with Tamar to Manhattan.
• Spanish Camp and later years
  In the 1970s, Day’s doctors recommended more rest. In 1972, the Catholic Worker community bought several cottages in Spanish Camp, a beachfront communal area on Raritan Bay. Day called it her “oasis” and spent six summers there and all of 1975 before her death in 1980 Historic Districts Council’s Six to Celebrate. Her cottage was modest, with wooden platform rooms, synthetic siding, and an outhouse, but it offered a peaceful view of the bay.
• Cultural and historical significance
  The site at 457 Poillon Avenue, where she lived, was part of the Spanish Camp developed by the Hispanic Naturopath Society. Day’s presence there was notable for its communal, beachfront lifestyle, which she valued Historic Districts Council’s Six to Celebrate. Her time in Staten Island influenced her writing, including fictionalized stories in the Staten Island Advance about a family coping with Depression‑era challenges The Gotham Center for New York City History.
• Legacy
  Staten Island remains a place of personal and spiritual significance for Day. Her life there—marked by love, loss, and a deep appreciation for the island’s natural beauty—shaped both her personal journey and her activism. Today, her association with Staten Island is remembered in local history and Catholic Worker circles, and the island continues to honor her sainthood journey silive+1.

Dorothy Day is currently buried at Resurrection Cemetery, located at 361 Sharrott     Avenue, 10309 – Section 10