Temple Christian student wins Veterans of Foreign Wars Patriot's Pen US essay contest
Bryant Day, an eighth-grade student at Temple Christian in Mansfield, has been selected the national first-place winner and recipient of a $5,000 award in the Veterans of Foreign Wars 2023-2024 Patriot’s Pen essay contest.
Day, who lives in Ashland, is the son of Raymond and Jessica Day.
Day, 13, was sponsored by VFW Post 9943 and its Auxiliary in Mansfield. He wrote his winning essay based on this year’s theme, “How Are You Inspired by America?”
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As the national first-place winner, Day was presented with his award at the VFW Washington Conference during the Parade of Winners award ceremony in Washington, D.C., where he delivered his winning essay before conference attendees.
Day's mother on Wednesday said the entire family including Bryant's sister Evelyn, a senior at Temple Christian School, were flown to Washington D.C. by the VFW.
"The English teachers at Mansfield Temple Christian have students write an essay each year and they submit them to the VFW," she said. She said in addition to her son's $5,000 national scholarship, he won a $2,000 scholarship at the state level competition.
"It's been an amazing experience," Jessica Day said. The family visited numerous sites including the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the International Spy Museum, the Smithsonian Institution and its National Air and Space Museum, Mount Vernon, Arlington National Cemetery and the White House.
Superintendent Rob Kurtz said Bryant is a great young man from a fantastic family.
"I'd like to say a special thanks to all the teachers who have worked with Bryant and honed his English writing skills," Kurtz said.
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VFW's Patriot Pen essay competition
Since its inception nearly 30 years ago, the VFW’s Patriot’s Pen essay competition has helped foster patriotism by encouraging young minds to examine our nation’s history along with their own experiences in modern American society while improving their writing skills.
Open to eligible sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students, the competition requires students to submit a 300- to 400-word essay expressing their views on a selected theme while competing for their share of nearly $1 million in awards and prizes.
Nearly 55,800 students participated this year. Day competed at the national level against 53 other state finalists vying for individual awards ranging from $500 to $5,000. The VFW awarded more than $55,000 in national awards.
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Temple Christian OH student wins VFW Patriot's Pen US essay contest
