Each year, middle school and high school compete separately in a writing contest centered around an American theme. For middle school, they compete in the Patriot’s Pen contest, whereas high school partakes in the Voice of Democracy contest. Students are required to answer a set question in the given word count allotment, and each essay is then judged by local veterans.
Students in grades 6-8 competed in the Veterans of Foreign Wars Patriot’s Pen writing contest. The students were tasked with answering the question, “How are you inspired by America?” The essay was to be completed in 300 to 400 words. The three local winners for this year’s contest were sixth graders Jordon Nutt, Kynlee Pondel, and Quincy Martson. The three students had a three-way tie, so each of them will be advancing to the district level. Each of the sixth grade students received $350 for their essay. If one were to advance to the national level, the grand prize for the Patriot’s Pen contest is $5,000.
High school students also competed in their Voice of Democracy writing contest where they answered the prompt, “What are the greatest attributes of our democracy?” High school participants turned in an audio-recording of their essay for the contest. Three juniors were awarded the top three places for this year’s contest. Junior Victoria Kinney took first (receiving $1,000), Brody Burlingame took second ($750) and Jordan Fox took third ($500). Each student approached the prompt differently, but all executed a captivated essay that earned them a place. Kinney’s essay will move on to the district level.
Congratulations to this year’s Patriot’s Pen and Voice of Democracy essay winners and best of luck as Nutt, Pondel, Martson, and Kinney move on to the district level.
