By Tim Leeds
More than 60 Havre Middle School seventh-graders participated in a recent essay contest sponsored by the Havre Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 497.
The contest was conducted during November. The topic of the contest was "How should we honor America's veterans?"
The winners of the contest were: first place, Aaron Minnick, son of Bob and Stephanie Minnick; second place, Megan Hickman, daughter of Kim and Val Hickman; and third place, Joe Shelton, son of Gary and Barbara Shelton.
The participating students, from Sandy Evenson's and Cathy Bradbury's seventh-grade classes, were treated to a McDonald's lunch courtesy of the Havre VFW post. Minnick was awarded a $100 savings bond, and Hickman and Shelton were each awarded a $25 savings bond.
Minnick's essay was also entered in a national competition.
Post 497 Commander Bob Rice and other veterans first met with the students and answered their questions about the topic.
Minnick said his first-place award came as a complete surprise. He said he didn't expect it. He said he focused on service in his essay. He said he wrote how veteran's could be served in different ways, such as visiting them.
Hickman said veterans deserve a lot of respect because of all they have done for the country. She said Veterans' Day is a good example of how to show them honor. She said she's very surprised and glad to be chosen for the award.
Shelton said the best way to honor veterans is to realize what they have gone through. He said he was pretty excited about his award. He said he will participate again next year if he can.
