VFW Post 5150 honors student essayists and three teachers from Loudon County Schools
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Summary
VFW Post 5150 presented Patriot Pen and Voice of Democracy awards to student winners and recognized three Loudon County teachers as post-level Teachers of the Year; district-level prizes and advancement to state and national contests were also announced.
VFW Post 5150 held an awards presentation at a Loudon County School Board meeting, recognizing student winners in the VFW Patriot Pen and Voice of Democracy contests and naming three teachers of the year.
The post’s presenter explained that the Patriot Pen contest for sixth- through eighth-graders requires a 300–400-word essay; the post-level winner receives a certificate and a $150 award. "This year's post level winner of the Patriot Pen is Isabella Cuba from Greenback School," the presenter announced. The Voice of Democracy audio-essay program for high-school students requires a written essay and a 3–5 minute audio recording; the national winner at the VFW level receives $35,000. "This year, VFW Post 5150 winner is Caitlin Tate from Loudon High School," the presenter said, adding that the post award includes $250 and a certificate.
The post also named Teachers of the Year at the elementary, middle and high-school levels. "Our selection as middle school teacher of the year is Mr. Richard Hannings from Fort Loudoun Middle School," the presenter said. The elementary selection was Jennifer Songster of Loudon Elementary School; the high-school selection was Master Sergeant David Dukes of Loudon High School. Post-level teacher awards include certificates and $350; district-level winners receive $200 and a personalized award. The presenter noted that Dukes won at the district and state levels and will compete for the national teacher-of-the-year award.
The presenter closed by thanking school system staff who supported the program and the Loudon County School Board for allowing time on the agenda. The VFW ceremony concluded before the board moved on to routine business.