This fall, West Grand School District students wrote patriotic essays for a national contest, hosted by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Middle and high school students compete for national scholarships up to $21,000. In each VFW State Department, students can win up to $1,000.

The Grand County chapter of the VFW Auxiliary judged the first round of grants for West Grand students. The winners of this judging advance to the next round of competition, which is the VFW District (Regional) level. This gives the winners a chance to compete at the state, then national level.

For West Grand, high school senior Lawson Landrus won first place ($500) for his audio presentation. The topic was “Is America Today Our Fathers’ Vision?” Middle schooler Grayson Kassib won first place in the Patriot’s Pen essay contest. The topic was “My Voice in America’s Democracy.” Kassib received $250 and the runner-up, Aubrey Reynolds, received $100.

To learn more about the VFW’s scholarship program, visit VFW.org.