Blessed Trinity Academy students shine in VFW essay contest
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Blessed Trinity Academy (BTA) seventh- and eighth-graders joined more than 120,000 students nationwide in the Veterans of Foreign Wars-sponsored Patriot’s Pen essay competition.
The contest consisted of multiple judging levels. BTA eighth-grader Samantha Bainbridge, 14, won first place at the West View VFW Post 2754 level and advanced to and won the VFW district level. State and national levels also exist. Seventh-grader Cheyenne Sahr, 13, placed second in the post level.
BTA teacher John Novak assigned the 300- to 400-word essays with the prompt “Why I honor the American flag” for contest submission.
Officials recognized Samantha and Cheyenne, both of Glenshaw, at an April banquet at the West View VFW.
“The national president of the VFW was there and being honored. So, it was a fantastic experience for me. They introduced the winners of both the Patriot’s Pen essay and the Voice of Democracy essay (the high school essay contest),” said Samantha, who read her essay during the dinner. “My writing was inspired by my family members that have served.”
Cheyenne’s essay shared her thoughts on why we celebrate certain holidays.
“Why do we stand up and clap when we see the flag rise on Memorial Day? We do that because we remember all the military that died for our nation. I love all the ways we celebrate our country being born. On July 4th, most people celebrate with a cookout and fireworks, but do you really think of our independent nation?” Cheyenne’s essay states.
“I am so proud of Cheyenne and Samantha. I am so lucky to teach at BTA, to see these two girls get some recognition for their work is a bonus for an already wonderful school year. This prompt was about feelings and emotions; it was about thinking and speaking for yourself. The fact that they did that so well makes all of us here at Blessed Trinity Academy so proud,” Novak said.
He said that he assigned the essay because “patriotism is a quality that serves my students well past their time at Blessed Trinity Academy.”
Furthermore, he strives to provide a myriad of writing opportunities for his students.
“You never know what topic is going to create a spark with a teenager, but I know that the standard, ‘What I did on my summer vacation’ will probably not inspire too much creativity.”
Cheyenne is the daughter of Terry and Amy. “We’re, you know, proud of her; it’s an accomplishment,” Amy said.
Both Jim (Samantha’s father) and I are very proud of Sam,” said Samantha’s mother, Valerie. “Typically, she asks us to review her work, but this essay was done in school and was not influenced by anything we may have mentioned. She’s very self-driven, conscientious and hard working. We’re looking forward to seeing what the future has in store for her.”