Coeur d'Alene VFW post announces essay contests

Commander Robert O. Martin of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. Post No. 889 in Coeur d’Alene announced three separate competitions for area students and teachers.

The first is the annual Voice of Democracy Scholarship competition. Students must write and record a three-to-five minute essay on this year’s theme — American History: Our Hope for the Future — using an audio CD or flash drive and present their recording, typed essay and completed essay by Oct. 31.

Students will compete at the local level, followed by the district level with the winner advancing to the state competition.

State first-place winners receive a four-day trip to Washington, D.C., and the chance to compete for a share of $150,000 in scholarships. The winner receives a $30,000 college scholarship.

For information, contact (208) 667-5236, email vfwcda@frontier.com or for more details on the contest, visit www.vfw.org/VOD.

The second is the Patriot’s Pen youth essay competition, open to middle school students in sixth to eighth grade.

The VFW enacted the competition in 1995 to encourage young minds to examine America’s history, along with their own experiences in modern American society by composing a 300-to-400 word patriotic-themed essay. This year’s theme is America’s Gift to My Generation.

The national first-place winner is awarded $5,000 and an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C.

For more information on the Patriot’s Pen contest, visit www.vfw.org/PatriotsPen.

The final award is the Smart/Maher VFW National Citizenship Education Teacher Award, which recognizes teachers for their commitment to teaching Americanism and patriotism to their students. Three winning teachers receive $1,000 for development, and $1,000 for their school, as well as an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., for the VFW’s National Convention in July.

Teachers from Kindergarten to fifth grade, sixth to eight, and ninth to 12th grade can be nominated by fellow teachers, students, supervisors or other interested individuals. Criteria include: promoting civic responsibility, flag etiquette and patriotism, and strive to help students develop a better understanding of democratic values and beliefs. Nomination forms are due to the Coeur d’Alene post by Oct. 31.

For information, contact (208) 667-5236, email vfwcda@frontier.com or for more details on the contest, visit www.vfw.org/community/youth-and-education/teacher-of-the-year.