Victoria Hamel, second from right, of Albany Township was recognized at an awards ceremony at the Maine State Archives in Augusta recently. Hamel, a 10th grade student of the Maine Virtual Academy, won first place in the high school division of the Maine Native American History & Culture Essay Contest for her essay on the innovations of the Wabanaki Confederacy. Hamel is pictured with, from, Kristen Tripp, teacher at the Virtual Academy; Sen. Lisa Keim, R-Oxford; and Secretary Matt Dunlap.