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MHS, SIS top VFW contests this year
The Veterans of Foreign Wars on Saipan awarded top students who participated in this year’s Voice of Democracy and the Patriot’s Pen Youth Essay competition held at the VFW location along Beach Road.
Each year, nearly 40,000 high school students from across the country enter to win a share of the $2 million in educational scholarships and incentives awarded through the VFW’s Voice of Democracy audio-essay competition.
The VFW established the Voice of Democracy program in 1947 to provide high school students the opportunity to express themselves about democratic ideas and principles.
The national first-place winner receives a $30,000 scholarship paid directly to the recipient’s American university, college or vocational/technical school. Other national scholarships range from $1,000 to $16,000, and the first-place winner from each state wins a minimum scholarship of $1,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C.
For 2016, the VOD theme was “My Vision For America.”
Marianas High School student Mary Grace Tiglao, who placed first in the Voice of Democracy essay competition for the high school division last year, took second place this time around.
MHS student Ainah Chargualaf took first place, with Olivia Hirsh, also of MHS, finishing third.
In addition to the VOD contest, 125,000 students in the middle school grades enter the VFW’s Patriot’s Pen youth essay contest by drafting a 300- to 400-word essay, expressing their views based on a patriotic theme chosen by the VFW commander-in-chief.
This year’s theme was “What Freedom Means to Me” with Saipan International School taking all the wins, with Shea Hartig in first place, Maria Gregoire in second place, and Rei Sekiguchi in third.
Last year, Mount Carmel School and Marianas Baptist Academy were among the top winners.
Pete Callaghan of the VFW said the purpose of the competition is to promote and educate students on patriotism and citizenship.
