By Kim McDarison
Post 1879 or the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and its auxiliary have announced chapter winners of an annual 2022-23 scholarships program which is offered nationally and supported by local VFW posts on a chapter, state and national level.
Although chapter winners were chosen early in the 2022-23 school year, national winners of the scholarship contests were not announced until March.
According to information released by the local group to Fort Atkinson Online this week, each fall, the Fort Atkinson post and auxiliary sponsors two national scholarships by selecting applicants at the chapter level who then continue to the state level. Applicants next move from the state to national level, where they compete for top-level scholarships. The two essay-based competitions are titled: “Patriot’s Pen” and “Voice of Democracy.”
The Patriot’s Pen competition is offered to students in grades 6-8, and is based on a 300- to 400-word essay.
Last fall, local chapter post and auxiliary members selected three students from Fort Atkinson schools who advanced from the chapter level competition to that of the state level. They were Presley Hotchkiss and Isabel Raub, both from St. Joseph Catholic School, and Austin Berhagen, from St. Paul’s Lutheran School, the release stated.
The Voice of Democracy competition, offered to students in grades 9-12, is based on an essay and a three- to five-minute audio voice presentation of each applicant’s essay.
Selected last fall at the chapter level and advancing to the state competition were Charles Schenck and Josh Tidberg, both of Fort Atkinson High School, the release noted.
According to information provided on the national VFW website, within the Patriot’s Pen competition, each first place state winner receives a minimum of $500 and the national first place winner wins $5,000.
According to the national VFW website, this year’s national level Patriot’s Pen winner was a student from Rice Lake, Wis.
Outlining the Voice of Democracy competition, the national VFW website notes that the national first place winner receives a $35,000 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 $21,000, and the first place winner from each VFW Department (state) wins at least a scholarship of $1,000,” the website stated.
According to the national VFW website, this year’s national level Voice of Democracy winner was a student from a school in Tennessee.
According to the national website, “each year, nearly 68,800 students in sixth through eighth grades 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.”
Describing the Voice of Democracy competition, the national website states that the audio-essay program, which was established in 1947, provides high school students with the unique opportunity to express themselves regarding a democratic and patriotic theme through use of a recorded essay. Each year, nearly 25,000 students in grades 9-12 from across the country enter to win their share of over $1.3 million in educational scholarships and incentives awarded through the program.
Looking ahead
According to the national VFW website, eligible students interested in participating in the Patriot’s Pen essay contest next school year, 2023-24, are encouraged to contact their local VFW chapters and submit entry materials by a deadline of Oct. 31. Additional information, including an entry form, is here: https://vfworg-cdn.azureedge.net/-/media/VFWSite/Files/Community/Youth-and-Education/Patriots-Pen-Entry-Form-Fillable.pdf?la=en&v=1&d=20230306T234856Z.
Those interested in participating next school year, 2023-24, in the Voice of Democracy competition, are encouraged to contact their local VFW chapters and submit entry materials by a deadline of Oct. 31. Additional information, including an entry form, is here: https://vfworg-cdn.azureedge.net/-/media/VFWSite/Files/Community/Youth-and-Education/Voice-of-Democracy-Entry-Form-Fillable.pdf?v=1&d=20180316T180558Z&la=en.
Information about the national competition held during the 2022-23 school year and its winners is here: https://www.vfw.org/community/youth-and-education/youth-scholarships.
Unsplash.com/Luke Michael
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