Three high school students and three middle school students have placed among local winners in the annual competitions
Three Washington Township High School students and three middle school students have placed among local winners in the annual Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen youth-writing competitions sponsored by the local chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
WTHS junior Crystal Stackhouse won first place for her audio essay addressing the 2017 theme “American History: Our Hope for the Future.” Junior George Gerber placed second, and senior Allyce Andricola place third. The students drafted their essays and then recorded their three-to-five minute readings of the draft to a CD.
Each year, more than 40,000 high school students from across the country enter to win a share of the $2.2 million in educational scholarships and incentives through the audio-essay contest. Knowing a democratic society needs nurturing, the VFW established the Voice of Democracy program in 1947 to provide students grades nine through 12 the opportunity to express their thoughts on democratic ideas and principles.
The national first-place winner receives a $30,000 scholarship paid directly to the recipient’s American university, college or vocational/technical school. Other national scholarships range from $1,000 to $16,000, and the first-place winners from each state VFW department earn an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C.
Chestnut Ridge Middle School eighth-grader Lelia Richards earned first place for her Patriot’s Pen essay addressing the 2017 theme “America’s Gift to My Generation.” Orchard Valley Middle School eighth-grader Jack Tinkelenberg earned second place. Bunker Hill Middle School eighth-grader Sydney Cella placed third.
Annually, roughly 100,000 students from grades six through eight nationally enter to win one of numerous savings bonds totaling $1.2 million, as well as an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. for the national first-place winner.
Students draft a 300–400 word-essay expressing their views based on an annual patriotic theme chosen by the VFW commander-in-chief.
Washington Township winners will be honored at the Knights of Columbus in December.
