NEWS

Americanism winners announced

Cathy Decker/Staff reporter

Five-year-old coloring winners from the YMCA Children's School from left are Isabella Dillavou, first, Michala Gowdy, second and Olivia Dillavou, third.

Winners of the Mercer County VFW Auxiliary 1571 Americanism awards were announced on Monday, April 30, 2012 at a formal ceremony in the upstairs VFW Hall in Aledo. Children from the Mercer County School schools were encouraged to submit entries for judging by the auxiliary.

In all, 88 pre-schoolers and 85 kindergarten students entered the coloring contest portion; 102 first graders, 90 second graders and 86 third graders entered posters and fourth and fifth graders totaling 148 students entered their essays.

The theme for the posters was the Statue of Liberty and the essay theme was 200 words or less on "What the Pledge of Allegiance means to me."

Judges for the contests were JeAnn Balmer, Diana Rader, Janet Smith and Carolyn Pollack.

Auxiliary member Bessie Bruce announced the winners and gave a special thank-you to the teachers for involving their students in this project. "It was a big job," she said.