TZ Snail '26 Published in The Concord Review

Senior TZ Snail’s essay, “Defender of the Skies: The P-51 Mustang’s Monumental Role in Changing the Course of World War II,” was selected for publication in the Winter Issue of The Concord Review. The prestigious quarterly journal spotlights secondary school academic research papers and publishes a mere 6% of the submissions it receives, putting TZ in rare company. 
 
The inspiration for the paper came from TZ’s late grandfather, who served during World War II. “My grandfather would have turned 100 years old this year,” TZ said. “I chose this topic to honor his service and legacy.”

Reading his grandfather’s wartime diary, TZ came across an entry that grew into the paper’s premise. “In one story, he documented watching Kamikazes attack nearby ships, which carried his friends–these ships were unarmed, as the United States did not have enough supplies to transport all ground soldiers on battleships,” TZ recalled. “This vivid moment stuck with me, and I decided to write about the P-51 Mustang, the Allied plane that fought against Kamikazes and helped protect the ships that carried my grandfather and other surviving soldiers.”

The paper accepted by The Concord Review started as an assignment for AP U.S. History class. While TZ had a personal connection to the topic, he wasn’t sure if there’d be enough material to meet the assignment’s 15-page requirement. It was the encouragement of his teacher and Dean of Studies Eric Smith that kept him going. “I’m extremely grateful to Mr. Smith, who taught me previously in 8th grade, for believing in me and guiding me on my research and writing journey. I also want to express my appreciation to Mr. Hegarty, who helped me find and order the first books I used as resources, and Mrs. McDonald, who helped me in editing my manuscript, especially my introduction. Also, my previous history teachers at Belmont Hill, Mr. Bradley (10th grade) and Ms. Zener (9th grade), for helping me improve as a history student.”

“I am incredibly proud of TZ,” Mr. Smith said. “As anyone who has worked with him at Belmont Hill would attest, it is an absolute pleasure to work with TZ. His diligence, grit, and openness to feedback are second to none.”

That diligence led to the profound depth of TZ’s research, as he mined government documents, museum databases, newspapers, and a variety of secondary texts. “I was determined to honor my grandfather,” TZ said. “After nine months of meticulous research, I had sufficient material to complete my manuscript. It extended far beyond the Mustang’s construction, demonstrating its pivotal role in bringing the United States out of World War I isolationism, international cooperation among the Allies, union of domestic manufacturers, and cultural shifts in gender norms on the home front. Who would ever guess that a plane could have such a profound world impact?”

Belmont Hill students who have been published by The Concord Review include:

● Matt Weinstein ’11 - "The Political Tipping Point: How the Kennedy Family Defeated the Lodges in the 1952 United States Senate Election in Massachusetts," Winter 2010 Issue
● George Holderness ’14 - "Immancipate the Mind: Literature's Influence on Abraham Lincoln," Winter 2013 Issue
● Jeremy Welborn ’14 - “Shadow of the Soviet: How Boston Came to be Viewed as a Bolshevik ‘Station’ in the Police Strike of 1919,” Summer 2014 Issue
● Shane Rockett ‘19 - “Superfrigates: How the Infant United States Navy Won a Streak of Frigate Duels Against the British in the War of 1812,” Winter 2018
● Jason Cannistraro '23 - "Clipping the Budget Hawk's Wings: How Morality and the Recession of 1937 Forced President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to Embrace Expansionary Policy," Summer 2023
● Noah Farb ‘24 - "From Prohibition to Plutocrats: The Untold Story of the Demise of Jewish Organized Crime in the Early to Mid 20th Century America," Fall 2023


About The Concord Review

The Concord Review, Inc., was founded in 1987 to recognize and publish exemplary history essays by high school students in the English-speaking world. With the 2025 Winter Issue, 1,600 research papers (average 8,500 words) have been published from authors in 47 states and 47 other countries. The Concord Review remains the only quarterly journal to publish the academic history papers of secondary students. The basic essay requirements include: must be written in English, suggested length is 4,000-6,000 words, subject may be on any historical topic, ancient or modern, domestic or foreign, and must be submitted electronically. The founder offers this one guideline: "When in doubt, send it in." Learn more at tcr.org