February 23, 2024
As part of the Renton Prep culture, students are constantly reaching new goals by immersing themselves in new opportunities. On October 31, 2019, our students participated in the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) essay contest. It was an excellent chance for them to express their voice and share their thoughts on important topics. We are proud to mention five of our students who won a place in the essay contest! All of the participants had a great time expressing themselves through writing and sharing it with other contestants. By and large, we are excited for many more opportunities to come.
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The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is a nonprofit veterans service organization. Overall, it comprises eligible veterans and military service members from the active, guard and reserve forces. Veterans of Foreign Wars dedicates itself to promoting patriotism and investing in our future generation. For this reason, they involve students in their mission. Since 1947, the Veterans of Foreign Wars offers premier scholarship programs. Every year, tens of thousands of students compete for more than $2 million worth in scholarships and incentives. Additionally, VFW offers youth competitions for different age groups.
Overall, 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 topic centered around what makes America great. Students submitted their essays with great detail and shared their perspective on the significant topic. Each essay is submitted without a name, intensifying the true impact of the message and taking bias out of the question.
Patriot’s Pen is a Veterans of Foreign Wars-sponsored youth essay competition that gives students an opportunity to express their views on an annual patriotic theme. Last year, over 120,000 students from all over the country participated in the contest. We are so glad to mention that this year, some of our students became a part of that population! Three students from Emily Reis’ (intermediate instructor of history, social studies, and Bible) class placed in the Patriot’s Pen youth essay competition.
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Congratulations to 8th grader Yohanna Tewolde for winning first place in the Patriot’s Pen youth essay contest! Full of creativity and detail, her essay focuses on the impact that the Founding Fathers had on our great nation. To this day, America is in the same spirit of building democracy and equal rights for each and every person.
Our Founding Fathers have created the greatest country in the world by taking advantage of the entrepreneurial spirit.
-Yohanna Tewolde
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7th grader Alex Mengisteab was the 2nd place winner of the Patriot’s Pen youth essay contest. We are so proud of the hard work that all students dedicated! In his essay, he shared about three qualities that shape our country: freedom, equality, and justice! There is diversity flowing throughout the country and growing together as one body. Supporting the idea of freedom, Alex states that what makes America so great is our Constitution, which allows us to each have individual rights and beliefs.
To live in the United States is a great privilege. It is something we all take for granted. America is known as “The Land of Opportunity.”
-Alex Mengisteab
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Last but not least, we would like to highlight 3rd place winner and 7th grader Samara Cooper for her participation in the youth essay contest! Her essay dives into the influence of diversity in our nation. As a country, America is a land of democracy, immigrants, opportunity, courage, exploration, learning, family, and freedom, as Samara shares in her essay.
The cultural diversity of this country has a very positive impact on all of us. It helps us understand other cultures which includes their cuisine, their clothing, their traditions, their customs, and their way of life. This helps us have a better understanding of other people’s perspectives and lives.
-Samara Cooper
Youth Essay
Only held at the local level, the youth essay gives students in grades 3-5 an opportunity to participate. Not to mention, two of our very own Renton Prep students also placed in the competition. Congratulations!
Notably, it’s not solely the fact that our students engage in opportunities such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars Essay Contest, it’s about the level of learning that comes with it. Focusing on the greatness of America opens students’ minds to appreciate the gifts that come with our country. It is a privilege to live in a place where freedom is at the heart of its entity. We must continue appreciating the value of our country and the privileges we are able to obtain because of it. To learn more about our vision for your child, contact us today!
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