| VFW
winners are named
Despite lower than usual participation, the VFW Annual Awards had no shortage of excellent Patriot’s Pen Essays and one of the best Voice of Democracy speeches ever, according to the Cottonwood Post commander, Joe Riener. The winners for the Patriot’s Pen Award are Anthony Karel, son of Dan & Laurie Karel, 1st; Molly Schwartz, daughter of Jared and Anna Marie Schwartz, 2nd; and a tie for third between Jordyn Higgins, daughter of Bryan & Becky Higgins, and Sabrina Lustig, daughter of Doug and Karen Lustig. The top honor for the Voice of Democracy speech goes to Daun Hoene, daughter of Gus and Ann Hoene. This year’s Teacher of the Year award winner is Kim Schumacher. Thanks to our distinguished panel of judges, Doug Giddings, Sheriff of Idaho County, Lynn Guyer, Warden at NICI, and Donna Latimer, Bachelor of Science Major in Criminal Justice. The competition was challenging and the students put forth a great effort. “The parents, school districts, and teachers deserve a special thanks for the outstanding education they provide,” Riener said. “The support our local students receive from the entire community is the reason this area performs so well on these national level awards.” Karel and Hoene will advance to the District II level competition. If they advance to state and beyond to nationals, the top prize for Karel could be a $10,000 bond and a possible $30,000 scholarship for Hoene. |
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