Local winners in national VFW contest

The VFW recently sponsored a nationwide essay contest called “Patriot’s Pen”. The theme for this year’s essay was “What Freedom Means to Me.” Heather Beasley and Luke Smith, eighth graders at West-Oak Middle School, were named the 1st and 2nd place winners of the local level contest from the VFW Auxiliary. The nation-wide contest is open to all students. It begins at the local level and progresses to the national level, where there is an opportunity to win $500 to $5,000.