A 14-year-old student didn't win the contest but got a nice thank-you note from the subject of her essay, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

"The fine essay you composed about me brightened my day," Ginsburg wrote to Maggie Gibbs, a student at Chesapeake Middle School in Chesapeake, Ohio. She signed the letter: "With every good wish and hope that you will thrive in your studies and see your dreams come true."Maggie wrote the essay for a contest about women making history. It was sponsored by several state agencies. About two weeks ago, after she heard she hadn't won, classmates told her she had received a letter from the Supreme Court.

"I didn't believe 'em one bit," Maggie said. But she went to the school office and found a handwritten letter from Ginsburg, imprinted with the seal of the United States. "My teacher got hysterical," Maggie said.

Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.