VFW Idaho District One announces contest winners

Terri Leonard, an art teacher at Coeur d’Alene High School, has been named the Idaho Veterans of Foreign Wars teacher of the year for grades nine through 12.

Leonard is the local winner of VFW Idaho District One’s Smart/Maher VFW National Citizenship Education Teacher Award.

She and the local student winners of District One’s essay contests — Ethan Reneau and Haven Engle — were recognized Saturday during the district’s quarterly meeting Saturday in Spirit Lake.

“We are so appreciative of Terri Leonard and every teacher who participated in the program. Their commitment to teach good citizenship to their students will greatly benefit our communities as these students grow into involved adults,” said VFW District One Commander Joseph English, in a news release.

The VFW Teacher of the Year award program was enacted in 1999 as a way to identify and recognize America’s best educators who instill a sense of national pride in students by teaching citizenship education topics regularly and promoting America’s history and traditions effectively. The program continues to exceed expectations and program administrators expect the number of participants will continue to grow each year.

Ethan Reneau, a 10th-grade student at Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy in Coeur d’Alene, was selected as the district’s first-place winner in the VFW Voice of Democracy essay competition. VFW Post 889 and its Auxiliary in Coeur d’Alene sponsored Ethan.

“The Voice of Democracy competition provides high school students with the opportunity to speak out on freedom and democracy,” English said. “The program has been popular and successful since its beginning in 1947, and we’re proud to keep offering it to America’s young people.”

The Voice of Democracy is a worldwide audio-essay competition that requires entrants to write and record a three- to five-minute essay on a patriotic-based theme. “Why My Vote Matters” was this year’s theme.

Ethan’s essay will go to Boise to compete against the other six state districts.

Haven Engle, an eighth-grade students at Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy, was selected as the district’s first-place winner of the Patriot’s Pen youth essay contest.

Haven, who was sponsored by VFW Post 889 and its Auxiliary in Coeur d’Alene. wrote her winning essay based on this year’s theme, “Why I Honor the American Flag.”

Haven’s essay will compete in Boise with the other six state districts.

The VFW enacted the Patriot’s Pen youth essay competition in 1995 as a way to encourage young minds to examine America’s history, along with their own experiences in modern American society while improving their writing skills.