Veteran Winners!

In November, students from West Springfield Middle School participated in the Patriot's Pen Essay Contest.  The Patriot’s Pen program asks students to research their local Veterans. This year's theme was "Why I appreciate veterans." In order to write this essay, students were able to meet some local veterans and to ask them questions.

Students from all 7th grade ELA 2 classes gathered to listen to veterans who served our country. The panel consisted of two middle school teachers and four veterans from our local VFW. There were five men and one woman. They ranged in ages, branches, rank and experiences. We certainly had diversity on our panel.

During the visit, the students were polite, respectful and interested in what our Veterans had to share through their experiences and stories. The students asked great questions that showed how interested they were in the visitors.  We believe students will take this experience with them for the rest of their lives.

After the visit, students had a month to write a 300-400 word essay answering the question “Why do I appreciate today’s veterans?”  Teachers then had to submit the essays to the VFW 6714 Barcomb-Trowbridge Post.  A panel of VFW  members then had to pick the top three essays that showed knowledge of theme, theme development and clarity of ideas.  The first place winner was Gabrielle Daley, the second place winner was Kira Poloski and the third place winner Renata Ostas. Gabrielle Daley will now go on to compete at the state level. The national first-place winner wins $5,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., in March.

Here is the Second Place Winner's essay!

Appreciation for America’s Veterans

By Kira Poloski

Norman Schwarzkopf once said, “The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it,” which in fact, is true. Bravery, sacrifice, and loyalty are all reasons why I appreciate America’s veterans. As a child, the Pledge of Allegiance was just a chore, now I know it as a thanks to the saviors of our country. Veterans have done so much for us, and they deserve our respect, and appreciation.

Imagine all of the veterans, who don’t get recognized for their duty. There are nine million veterans over the age of sixty five, and most don’t get the appreciation that they deserve from their service. It is hard to recognize veterans, especially when they are not in uniform. But the reason for the pledge of allegiance, and Memorial day is to thank our veterans for fighting for our country, no matter how long ago it was. How do I show my appreciation? I participate within the morning pledge in school, and also do something special on Memorial Day. My father and I once walked up to a veteran, and thanked him for his service and also asked for a photo. Everyone likes to be appreciated for something that they have done, and veterans could use some support. So say thank you!

Our veterans go through a lot.  Most likely they have gone through a traumatic experience, that could have left them permanently scarred, or terrified. A disorder some veterans face is called PTSD, which stands for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. It is a major anxiety disorder, that is mainly caused from a terrifying event. In fact there are more than 5.5 million veterans living with this disorder. Veterans go through so much, and deserve to be thanked for their service, because they gave up so much and were very courageous to join the military to save our country, even if it meant being permanently scarred or terrified.

Veterans have sacrificed so much, many fighters gave up their one and only lives. Respect your veterans, as you may not know what they have gone through in the past. Things get very intense in the military for most people. Know that when you next see a veteran, do the right thing and thank them for all they have done for you. To all of the veterans out there, you are my hero.


TO SEE THE OTHER TWO WINNING ESSAYS GO TO MRS. CANATA'S BLOG!!