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Health & Fitness

Students win American Legion Essay and Poppy Poster Contests

Fifteen local students received awards on April 16 in patriotic essay and poster contests sponsored by the Robert E. Coulter, Jr., American Legion Post and Auxiliary in La Grange.

In the annual Americanism Essay Contest, students were challenged to write on the topic “How would I improve our form of government?” and competed in two categories according to their grade level. Irene Minik, an eighth grader from St. John of the Cross School, won first place in the middle school category for grades 7-8. Lyons Township High School senior James Dudley won first place in the high school competition.

Ryan Cummings, an eighth grader at St. Francis Xavier School, took second place and Madeline Walsh, an eighth grader at St. Cletus School, won third place in the middle school category.

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LTHS seniors Drew Klein and Karenna Lange won second and third place, respectively, in the high school competition.

Six middle school students also won “honorable mention” awards for their essays.  They are Laney Coyne, a seventh grader from McClure Junior High School; Ismael De La Rosa, an eighth grader from St. John Lutheran School; John Dudley, an eighth grader at St. Francis Xavier School; Kyle Hanus, an eighth grader at St. Louise de Marillac School; Hannah Niew, an eighth grader at St. John of the Cross School; and Sean Ryan, an eighth grader at St. Cletus School.

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Three students also received awards in the annual Poppy Poster Contest, which asks students to convey through drawings the solemn message of sacrifice and valor on the battlefield represented by the red Memorial Poppy.  First place winners in their grade-level categories are Becca Mueller, a fifth grader at Forest Road School, and LTHS seniors Karenna Lange and Ann Reimann. All three La Grange winners will have their posters entered in statewide competition. State Poppy Poster winners will be announced in July at the annual American Legion state convention held in Springfield, Illinois.

The essay contest is also a statewide competition with four regional levels of competition. La Grange first place winners Minik and Dudley have already won the second round of regional competition and will now compete with winners from across the Chicago metro area. Essays selected as “best in state” will be announced at the annual American Legion Auxiliary state convention in July. Students whose essays win at the state level can take home up to $1,200 in scholarship awards.

The Robert E. Coulter, Jr., Post and Auxiliary are located at 900 South La Grange Road in La Grange. Follow Auxiliary news on Facebook at “American Legion Auxiliary La Grange, Illinois” and on our website at www.auxiliary.al1941.org
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