Are our veterans appreciated enough? How am I inspired by America?
Those two themes led to winning entries in this year’s Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen essay contests through Emporia’s VFW Post 7957.
Olpe High senior Achilles Gudgeon won the local Voice of Democracy contest, which discussed matters like sacrifices of veterans, treatment of veterans, the true meanings of freedom and personal interactions with veterans. Village Elementary fourth-grader Alexandra Lopez was the winner in the Patriot’s Pen contest for her essay that discussed the helpfulness of Americans, hard work of business owners and quality of schools.
Entries were judged Wednesday. Project chair Gary Post says participants had to meet several criteria for the judges.
The Voice of Democracy essay was an audio format, while Patriot’s Pen was written. Both winners receive $50. Gudgeon’s entry now goes to the VFW District regional contest and could lead to a $35,000 VFW scholarship if it wins the national competition. Patriot’s Pen, meanwhile, is a national contest for grades 6-8 but is a strictly local contest for grades 3-5.
