News : VFW & VFW Auxiliary 8884 Attend Tilford Elementary Essay Awards Day April 11

Our VFW Auxiliary hosts our Elementary essay contest each year at Tilford and Shellsburg Elementary Schools. Last week we went to Shellsburg to present the students with their essay awards. This week we went to Tilford to finish handing them out to students. The fourth-grade theme this year was "MY FAVORITE PATRIOTIC HOLIDAY" We had four classes of fourth-graders at Tilford and three fourth grade classes at Shellsburg. The essays are judged by grades, not classes. We get the new titles to teachers usually before school is out so the teachers can plan their agenda for the following school year. The teachers explain the title and then the students start writing their essays. Around Veterans Day the teachers give their class essays to our VFW Auxiliary to be judged. We have people in the community judge them. Brenda Hackbarth and Toni Parizek have been our judges for many years. They enjoy reading and judging the essays. Then the awards are put together and distributed at the Spring assembly or awards day. The fourth grade uses no less than 75 words and no more than 100 words in their essays. We don't know the students' names until they are judged because no names are on the front of the essays. This makes it a fair competition for all. All information with students' names/parents' names and phone numbers/teachers/ and school are on the back of the essays. Once they are judged then we write their points of 100 possible. They get possible 35 points for using the theme of the essay, 35 points for clarity of contents, 30 points for punctuation. We pick the top 15 essays out of all the fourth-grade classes. They receive place medals for 1-6 place/ 7-15 places receive a victory medal because they don't make the top numbers in a place medal. Each medal has a red/white/blue ribbon attached. Mitchell Tuttle attaches the ribbons to the medals otherwise the company we get them from charges extra to put them together. Mitchell is a life member of our VFW Auxiliary 8884. Our students all receive a certificate with their essays back to back and then laminated. They also receive a wristband that says participant/ Vinton-Shellsburg on them. We also give the teachers a framed certificate and an Auxiliary key chain. The first-place winners receive a medal/ certificate/ wristband. then their essay advances to the District competition. If they place first at District 2 competition then they go on to the state competition. This is the highest level they can go to until Junior High and High School. Then they can advance to the National competition and win a scholarship. Junior High Students can win a $5,000 scholarship by winning top award at National Competition. Their essay competition is called Patriots Pen (6-8 graders). They also get to go to Washington DC to get their award. This trip is all expenses paid for the students. For the last couple of years, the students had to do awards at National by zoom (virtual) because of the Covid. High School students (9-12 grades) can receive a top award of $30,000 scholarship.Their essay is called Voice of Democracy (VOD). They also get a trip to Washington DC usually unless covid is still going. The Elementary 4th grade winners: 1st place (Emrey Paige/Mrs. Patterson class Shellsburg) 2nd place(Parker Stein/ Mrs. Haisman's class/Shellsburg) 3rd place: (Ian Schminke/ Mrs. Kohl's class/ Shellsburg) 4th place: (Gabrielle Hansel/ Mrs. Patterson's class/ Shellsburg) 5th place(Griffin Henkle/MS Sexton's class/ Shellsburg6th place(Allison Beck/MS Sexton's class/Tilford) 7th place(Libbe Burke/MS Sexton's class/ Tilford)8th place: (Kassen Schminke/ Mrs. Patterson's class/ Shellsburg)9th place: (Owen Schminke/ MS Jorgenson's class/Tilford) 10th place: (Addison Higdon/ Mr. Meyer's class/ Tilford)11th place: (Abigal Moessner/ Mrs. Haisman's class/ Tilford)12th place: (Kylie Hanover/ Mrs. Haisman's class/ Tilford)13th place: Quincy Maynard/ Mrs. Haisman's class/ Tilford)14th place:( Slade Germaine/ Mrs. Kohl's class/ Shellsburg)15th place: (Hattie Meyer/ MS Jorgenson's class/ Tilford). WE THANK THE VINTON-SHELLSBURG SCHOOLS/ TEACHERS/ AND STAFF Thank you to Donna Roepke for making a monetary donation to buy the medals/ laminating sheets/ and wristbands. She is a Life Member of our VFW Auxiliary 8884 in Vinton. Both her husband (Don) and Donna loved coming to the schools to support the students' essay awards. Donna has continued donating in memory of her husband. She is very active in Our VFW Auxiliary 8884. Thank you to our VFW Post 8884 members for supporting our essay contest. Our Auxiliary helps them with their events, too. Thank you to Vinton Today and Cedar Valley Times/ Vinton Eagle for covering our Events and putting write-ups in the papers for us!! We are in Vinton-Shellsburg communities to support our Veterans and their families.