DOVER — Brennan Macklin, a sixth-grade student at Holy Cross School in Dover, is the 2020-21 winner of the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ Patriot’s Pen youth essay contest, the school announced recently. The contest is open to sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders enrolled in public, private or home schools in the United States, its territories and possessions.
The theme of this year’s contest was “What Patriotism Means to Me.” Brennan had to compose an essay of 300-400 words. Entries were judged on knowledge of the theme, theme development and clarity of ideas. Brennan’s sixth-grade language arts teacher, Toya Peek, supervised his progress and entered his work with the local VFW post.
According to Holy Cross, the VFW contest is designed to encourage students to think critically about America’s history and society. Each state winner will receive a minimum of $500, and the national winner will receive $5,000. The national award will be announced during the VFW’s annual conference this spring.
