The 2009 Patriot’s Pen winners selected are:
1st Place $300.00 Bond -Yaru A. Aldrich,8th grade from Pioneer Heritage Middle School
2nd place$200.00 Bond -Amber C. Schmalz,8th grade from Pioneer Heritage Middle School
3rd place $100.00 Bond -Taylor A. Goldman,8th grade from Pioneer Heritage Middle School

Winners of the Voice of Democracy Scholarship and Patriot Pen Essay Contest were recently selected by the Frisco Post 8273 Committee.

The Voice of Democracy winner is Terra Chang, a senior at Centennial High School.  VFW Frisco Post 8273 will present the $500.00 scholarship award during the Frisco Education Foundation Award ceremony to be held in the spring, said Post Commander Lee Myrben.

The winners of the Patriot Pen essay met with the Frisco VFW member at American Bank of Texas over the winter break to receive their savings bonds for winning the essay contest.  All three winners are Pioneer Heritage students and all three are students of English teacher Tom Garner.  Garner joined the students and their parents at the bank over winter break to congratulate the youngsters on their accomplishments.

The young women selected by the Frisco VFW Post Committee to receive a bond from the post are:  Yaru A. Aldrich, first place, $300.00 bond: Amber C. Schmalz, second place, $200.00; and Taylor A. Goldman, Third place, $100.00.

Lee Myrben, Post Commander from Frisco, TX Post 8273 and post members are proud to announce that Lauren E. Hill, a 12th grade student at Centennial High School, is the winner of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States the 2008 Voice of Democracy Contest. From among the FISD High School 48 student entries, a panel of VFW Post Members judged the winners for the best personal articulation of this year's theme, "Service and Sacrifice by America’s Veterans Benefits Today’s Youth by..." Ms Hill will be awarded a $500.00 college scholarship at the Frisco Education Foundation Awards Ceremony.

Synopsis from Sharon Runge:
In 6 years as an educator I’ve encouraged scholarship applications and pushed every available academic opportunity on my English classes. However, it is rare to have a student earn scholarship money for something based solely on the English language; writing. When I found out that Alex had won the Voice of Democracy Essay contest at the regional level I can’t explain the pride, joy, and overwhelming happiness I felt for her.
I was fortunate enough to attend the award ceremony in Austin for the top 25 essay candidates and it was one of the greatest experiences I’ve had as a teacher. The Voice of Democracy program is so generous and academically rewarding for students. To be a part of such a unique event was an honor. Alex is exceptionally intelligent and to be a freshman included in the top 25 in the state proves her amazing talents. I can only imagine what Alex will accomplish in her future years at Liberty High School.
Synopsis from Alex Pernice:
Getting into the Voice of Democracy writing scholarship all started as an opportunity offered in my English class. It turned out to be one of the most rewarding and amazing experiences of my freshman year. About a month or so after I turned in my entry, I received a phone call from the Lewisville VFW stating I had won at the regional level and earned a $500 scholarship. At that point I was invited to the Mid-Winter Round Up held in Austin, Texas to attend the Voice of Democracy Banquet, where the results of the state competition would be announced. Only 25 students out of the whole state made it to this point and of those, I was the only ninth grader. It all passed by so fast, and it was quite surreal being a part of something so special. In Austin I had the opportunity to meet a lot of new people, attend VFW meetings, and go to places such as the capital building and the Texas State Cemetery. We had the pleasure of meeting Governor Rick Perry and Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst. The trip ended with the Voice of Democracy banquet, and the announcing of the winners, in which I placed 14th of the 25 invited and won a total of $1500 in scholarship money. I feel so proud and honored to have been the youngest of the top 25 applicants. I'd like to thank District 1 and the Frisco VFW Post for supporting and sponsoring me throughout the whole process. The Voice of Democracy scholarship program has given me more confidence as a writer and will continue to inspire me as I continue my high school education.