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The Crewe VFW Post 7819 and Blackstone VFW Post 7897 announced the winners of the Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen Essay contests and Teacher of the Year.

Voice of Democracy (VOD) is an annual nationwide scholarship program sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). It is an audio-essay contest for high school students in grades 9-12. This year’s VOD winner was Sadie Henshaw, who received $150 on the local level and $100 for placing third at the district level.

The Patriot’s Pen program is open to students in grades 6-8. 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.

Jacob Seamans placed first and received $150, while Layla Dorin came in second and received $100. Bradley Z. Trinkle, meanwhile, finished second on the district level, receiving $200.

The VFW Teacher of the Year annually recognizes the nation’s top classroom elementary, junior high and high school teachers who teach citizenship education topics regularly and promote America’s history and traditions effectively. Teachers who promote civic responsibility, flag etiquette and patriotism are prime candidates for this award.

Camela Williams won first place in the middle school category on both the local and district level this year. For Blackstone, the VFW group chose Amber Orr as their local teacher of the year.