Patriot’s Pen Youth Essay Competition Winners Announced

Three students from Branson Junior High were honored with a special presentation for their award-winning submissions to the VFW’s Patriot's Pen youth essay competition.

Richard Baehr, Veterans of Foreign Wars Commander, and Kenneth Allison, Adjutant, presented each student with a certificate and check according to their placements:

First place essay and $100 went to Gabriella Bandy (7th grade) Second place essay and $75 went to Priya Raghani (8th grade) Third place essay and $50 went to Georgia Griffith (7th grade)

Each year more than 165,400 students in grades 6-8 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. 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.