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Students define patriotism, democracy in VFW essays

-Messenger photo by Elijah Decious
Maggie Lennon, a senior at St. Edmond Catholic School, reads her essay reflecting on how America has evolved since it was envisioned by its forefathers.

Five local students placed in the Veterans of Foreign Wars annual essay contests: Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen.

This year’s Patriot’s Pen winners were Anna Lawrence and Max Nguyen. Voice of Democracy winners were Maggie Lennon, Jocelyn Timmerman and Abram Larson.

“(The essays are) important because it’s part of our history and it’s ongoing,” said Pam Kenemer, a committee member who reads the essays written by students selected to go to district and state competitions. “We’re always going to have a military, and it’s nice that they’re remembered.”

First place winners will move on to district competitions. If they advance to the state level, they will have the chance to win a trip to Washington, D.C.

With prompts asking about the country America’s founders envisioned and what patriotism means, students wrote an analysis that went below the surface to dissect terms and concepts often used flippantly.

-Messenger photo by Elijah Decious
Anna Lawrence earned second place in the VFW’s annual Patriot’s Pens competition with her essay on patriotism. Roger Simonson, a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1856, presented the awards.

“I went off of how I felt about a lot of the things going on currently. People have a lot of opinions about whether it’s traditional, but sometimes tradition can change and you don’t realize it,” said Lennon, the first place Voice of Democracy winner and senior at St. Edmond Catholic School.. “Our founders lived in a very different time. You can’t really assume what they would think of things (today.)”

Though the country has its challenges, she thinks they would be proud of what America looks like today.

“When people say, ‘is this what the patriots fought for?’ or ‘boy, if the founding fathers could see this,’ they fail to take into account how much things have changed since the founders lived here,” she wrote in her essay. “It is critical that we examine why they framed the country the way they did, because that will tell us whether or not they would be happy with what we’ve done.”

Though this country has not enforced the rules exactly the way our forefathers set them, Lennon said the country has stayed true to their motivations.

Annie Lawrence, an eighth grader at Community Christian School, examined the meaning of patriotism in her essay, which won second place in the Patriot’s Pen contest.

-Messenger photo by Elijah Decious
Maggie Lennon earned first place in the local VFW’s Voice of Democracy competition. Pem Kenemer, left, and Roger Simson presented the awards Wednesday evening.

In a country with millions of people from different walks of life, she said patriotism is what brings unity, and it can mean something different to everyone. Her essay was inspired after a walk at the Veteran’s Memorial Park in Fort Dodge.

“(Veterans) chose to fight for something they believed in and to support their country. That’s what patriotism means to me,” Lawrence said in her essay. “We may not be able to fight, but we can all choose to support our country.”

Even the little ways of supporting others matter, she said.

“The little things we do can make a difference in someone’s life,” she wrote.

To readers like Kenemer, the thoughtful words give her hope for the next generation.

-Messenger photo by Elijah Decious Anna Lawrence, an eighth grader at Community Christian School, reads her essay reflecting on what patriotism means.

“They’re going to be more aware,” she said. “They’re more knowledgeable than I ever was at their age.”

Nguyen won first place in the Patriot’s Pen competition.

Timmerman took second place in Voice of Democracy while Larson placed third.

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