The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Department of Washington District 6 stopped by Kalama Middle School this month to honor the work of some local students.
The Patriot Pen awards, which are part of a national VFW program, are given each year to promote a sense of patriotism in American youth.
The award recipients, 8th graders Avery Staup, Wyatt Almeida and Meyer Holmstrom, were selected after submitting entries to an essay writing contest about the role of patriotism in their lives. The students present were recognized in front of their peers and received official certificates.
Each year, nearly 68,800 students in sixth through eighth grades enter the VFW’s Patriot’s Pen youth essay contest.