WARSAW, IN - Edgewood Middle School (EMS) is proud to announce that seventh-grade students Maryam Anwar and Liam Everett have won the local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 1126 writing contest. Each student was awarded a $125 prize for their winning essays on this year’s theme: "My Voice in America’s Democracy."
The contest, held at the local, regional, state and national levels, is judged through a blind process. The essays submitted by Maryam and Liam stood out so much that the local post reached out to their district office for special permission to submit both entries for state-level consideration, an unusual honor.
The awards were presented by Bob Dockery, past Commander and current community service representative of VFW Post 1126, and David White, the post quartermaster. Both students were surprised and thrilled to learn their essays had been selected.
This marks the sixth consecutive year that EMS students, under the guidance of teacher Abbi Richcreek, have won this award. Previous winners include:
2023: Ellie Green
2022: Lillian Dunbar
2021: Gwen Bowman
2020: Aeva Ashenfelter
2019: Haley Rodewald
Mrs. Richcreek, a Project Lead The Way (PLTW) teacher, is passionate about inspiring her students to pursue opportunities that encourage personal growth. This contest was not a classroom or homework assignment but rather an invitation for students to go above and beyond. Ms. Richcreek expressed her gratitude to all participants who dedicated their time to crafting thoughtful 300-400 word essays.
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Photo Provided: David White, VFW Post 1126 Quartermaster; Maryam Anwar, contest winner; Liam Everett, contest winner; and Bob Dockery, VFW Post 1126 Past Commander and Community Service Representative, during the award presentation for the VFW writing contest.