VFW Post 1963 in Sea Isle City has honored the winners of its 2023-2024 Patriot’s Pen Essay Competition.
This year’s first place winner was seventh grader Lily Klebaur of Bishop McHugh Regional Catholic School. She received a medal, a certificate of achievement and a check for $300 from Post 1963.
Also honored were Bishop McHugh seventh graders Myka Morris, who received $200 for second place, and Lukas Childs, who took home third place honors and $100.
The contest is part of a national VFW competition that annually includes over 68,000 students in sixth through eighth grades.
The yearly writing competition, which has a grand prize on the national level of $5,000, encourages students to explore American history and intertwine their own experiences and feelings in a 300- to 400-word essay.
The theme for this year’s Patriot’s Pen essay contest was “How are you inspired by America?”
During an assembly Jan. 5 inside their school’s gymnasium, the 23 Bishop McHugh students who participated in this year’s writing competition were introduced and asked to step forward to receive a commemorative pen prior to the event’s three winners being announced.
After the awards were presented, former Post 1963 Commander Mark Lloyd, who serves as the Patriot’s Pen chairperson for VFW District 17 in Cape May County, announced that Lily Klebaur was also the first-place winner for District 17. She will be advancing to the state and possibly the national levels of competition later in the year.
“We had an excellent amount of involvement from the students, and there were some really inspiring essays written this year,” Lloyd said in a news release. “Each year, we enjoy learning the mindsets of the youth of America and to see what is important to them, because they are our future and it’s very refreshing to learn what is on their minds, how they feel, and how they think.”
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To learn more about VFW Post 1963, go to www.vfwpost1963.com, call 609-263-1711, or visit Post 1963’s headquarters at 301 JFK Boulevard in Sea Isle City.
