Voice of Democracy Winners

An eighth grader, Briley Braddy, took first place in the essay contest on the theme, “What Freedom Means to Me.”

“I got more of a realization of really what freedom is and the cost of it.  More and more people are taking freedom for granted, but when you do an essay like this and do the research for it and look back at how we got this freedom and how we got this privilege to do something, you get an appreciation for it and what really happened and that a lot of blood was shed for it,” Briley said.

Senior Brayden Price won the speech competition on the theme, “My Vision for America.”

“Better education, more support for our police force and taking care of veterans.  I mentioned a lot of things in my speech but those are the three main things.  I’m really starting to become more patriotic.  Being a teenager, you’re more focused on other things, but writing these things makes you think about your country and what direction it’s going in,” he said.

Bobby George, the VHA coordinator for the project, believes taking part in the Voice of Democracy pays off for students.

“We’re just glad to see what they’re learning in class is applicable and also that it makes a positive impact because they’re talking about patriotism and their vision for America,” he said.

Shirley Curl with the VFW Auxiliary has been organizing the local competition for years and is impressed with this year’s effort.

“They were remarkable.  I could not believe some of the essays.  It gave me such hope for the future with these young people possibly leading this country and doing things better,” she said.