Local students do SV proud in VFW essay contests
Kellogg High School senior Aaron Lehto receives his award and check from local VFW Commander Chris Marker for his winning Voice of Democracy essay. Lehto won at both the local, and recently, at the district level and will now be moving on to the state competition.
Courtesy photo
KELLOGG — Two Kellogg students were recently announced as winners of two VFW essay competitions and have advanced to the district levels of the competition.
Senior Aaron Lehto and middle schooler Evan Jones were the local winners of the "Voice of Democracy" and "Patriot’s Pen" essay competitions, respectively.
VFW Post 1675 Commander Chris Marker was pleased to present the winners with certificates, as well as $75 checks for both Lehto and Jones.
According to Marker, it had been some time since anyone in the Silver Valley had participated, let alone won the competition.
“We received 35 Voice of Democracy entries and eight Patriot’s Pen entries,” Marker said. “This was the best participation that we have had in awhile.”
While both advanced to the district level, it has also been announced that Lehto won his district competition. His essay will now move onto the state level of the competition and he will receive an additional $100 for his district win, with possibly more money if and when he progresses.
Established in 1947, Our Voice of Democracy audio-essay program provides high school students with the unique opportunity to express themselves in regard to a democratic and patriotic-themed recorded essay. Each year, nearly 64,500 ninth- to 12th-grade students from across the country enter to win their share of more than $2.1 million in educational scholarships and incentives awarded through the program.
The national first-place winner receives a $30,000 scholarship paid directly to the recipient’s American university, college or vocational/technical school. A complete list of other national scholarships range from $1,000 to $16,000, and the first-place winner from each VFW Department (state) wins a minimum scholarship of $1,000.
Each year more than 165,400 students in grades 6-8 enter the VFW’s Patriot’s Pen youth essay contest for a chance to win their share of more than $1.4 million in state and national awards. Each first-place state winner receives a minimum of $500 at the national level, and the national first-place winner wins $5,000.
The essay contest encourages young minds to examine America’s history, along with their own experiences in modern American society, by drafting a 300- to 400-word essay, expressing their views based on a patriotic theme chosen by the VFW Commander-in-Chief.
This year the theme was “What Patriotism Means to Me.”
Marker also presented the Kellogg High School Marine Corps JROTC with $100, as well as Kellogg High School Superintendent Nancy Larsen, who was presented with a brand new American Flag for displaying at KHS.