Madden McNatt, a senior at Grovetown High School, Eagle Scout, and one of the top-performing attendees of the 2025 Youth Leadership Conference (YLC), has been named the First-Place winner in the Military Order of the World War’s (MOWW) 2025 nationwide Phoenician Essay Contest. The annual competition challenges students across the country to examine civic responsibility and leadership. This year’s topic asked participants to address perceived divisiveness in the United States and propose two ways the nation can move toward becoming a “more perfect union,” as outlined in the Preamble to the Constitution. For his winning essay, McNatt was awarded a $4,000 scholarship prize.

 

Reflecting on his essay, McNatt emphasized the importance of intentional civic development and shared responsibility: “If one accepts the idea … hard times create tough people, tough people create better times, better times create soft people, and soft people create tough times. We are at a point where the ideas that drove us from the World War II generation to the 80s have given way to the belief that maximizing one’s individual goals over anyone else's is the highest ambition. This has undoubtedly eroded the ties that bind us together in our cities, our states, and nationally. To get that back without an external threat to the nation or hard times seems very hard for a nation to do. I grew up with my dad talking about the course of instructions that young Athenian males had to take and the ephebic college. Athens did this to its youth, regardless of whether there was a threat to the city-state, and the outcome was that citizens understood their citizenship and their duty to serve the city-state. My point is that if we want citizens who care about the nation, we must approach it in a similar way. One doesn’t just get [good and productive] citizens without putting an effort into it.”

 

In addition to his academic and leadership achievements, McNatt has secured a four-year Army ROTC scholarship and has committed to attend Virginia Military Institute (VMI). He is also awaiting a decision from the United States Military Academy at West Point, which remains his top choice.

 

“My primary objective over the next five years is to grow as a leader and as a Christian, and to commission as an Army officer,” McNatt said. “I am honored and humbled to have received this award and appreciate the time and effort invested in presenting it.”

 

McNatt’s accomplishment reflects his dedication to leadership, service, and civic responsibility—values exemplified through his achievement as an Eagle Scout and his continued pursuit of excellence.

 

For more information about Scouting programs in the CSRA or how you can support Scouting, go to gacacouncil.org.