The VFW and VFW Auxiliary of Brookings announced that Stanturf Dwomoh, a sixth grade student, is the Post No. 118 first-place winner of the VFW and VFW Auxiliary’s 2024 Patriot’s Pen youth essay contest. He attends Mickelson Middle School. He wrote the winning essay based on this year’s theme, “My Voice in America’s Democracy.”

Second place is Amurama Dwomoh and third place is Cora Kleinjan; both students attend Mickelson Middle School. All local schools received electronic information on this contest to distribute to teachers and students. The first place essay was sent to SD District 4 for further competition.

The VFW enacted the Patriot’s Pen youth essay competition in 1995 as a way to encourage young minds to examine America’s history, along with their own experiences in modern American society while improving their writing skills. The contest is a worldwide competition that gives students in grades 6, 7 and 8 the opportunity to write a 300- to 400-word theme-based essay expressing their views on democracy while competing for worthwhile awards and prizes.