St. Mary student wins VFW essay contest

From left are language-arts teacher Danielle Sasser, Genevieve Robinson, Commander Mickey Vickery, and Sister Marie Blanchette, OP, St. Mary principal.

Students at St. Mary School in Oak Ridge recently had the opportunity to participate in the Veterans of Foreign Wars Essay Competition.

Conducted nationwide, the Patriot’s Pen is a VFW-sponsored youth essay competition that gives students an opportunity to write essays expressing their views on an annual patriotic theme. This year’s Patriot’s Pen essay asked students to describe “The America I Believe In…” Students were asked in 300-400 words to articulate what makes our nation unique and great.

Genevieve Robinson’s essay won first place. In her essay, Genevieve wrote, “We have a country in which our differences are celebrated instead of discouraged. Our different talents can be utilized to build a better, stronger nation.”

Commander Mickey Vickery, U.S. Army Infantry, visited Danielle Sasser’s seventh-grade class to present a certificate along with a $100 check. Winners from the local competitions are submitted to the district and potentially the national level.

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