PITTSBORO – Joe Wagner Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7313 in Pittsboro announced the winners of its 2018-19 Youth and Education award contests.
Established in 1947, the Voice of Democracy audio-essay program provides high school students with the opportunity to express themselves in a democratic and patriotic-themed recorded essay.
This year the winners at the Post level were Chase Miller - First Place, $100 and Abbey Bullock - Second Place, $75. Chase, the first place winner, was sponsored by the Post to the VFW North Carolina District 9 level of the competition. His winning essay was based on this year’s theme, “Why My Vote Matters.”
Established in 1995, the Patriot’s Pen youth essay competition for grades 6, 7 and 8 was enacted as a way to encourage young people to examine America’s history, along with their own experiences in modern American society while improving their writing skills.
This year the winners at the Post level were Elizabeth Dupree - First Place, $100; Nathaniel Hull - Second Place, $75 and Isabella Segnere - Third Place, $50. Dupree and Hull, the first and second place winners, were sponsored by the Post to the VFW North Carolina District 9 level of the competition. Their winning essays were based on this year’s theme, “Why I Honor the American Flag.”
Each year the VFW recognizes exceptional teachers for their outstanding commitment to teach patriotism to their students and to promote America’s history, traditions and citizenship education effectively. This year the winner of the Teacher of the Year award at the Post level with an award of $100 was Ms Toni Maples, a CTE Business Teacher at Cordova Middle School in Richmond County. She was sponsored by the Post to the VFW North Carolina District 9 level of the competition.
Twenty-one Chatham County students participated in the Post level competition this year. Winners at the Post level have the opportunity to move through the District and Department (State) levels to compete at the national level for individual awards ranging from $500 to $30,000.
The essay winners and their families were hosted for dinner and the award presentation at the Post’s regular monthly meeting on Nov. 27. Maples received her award at a ceremony at her school on Dec. 13.