St. Alphonsus/St. Patrick students in Lemont receive award

On Dec. 4, the Lemont VFW recognized four students at St. Alphonsus/St. Patrick School who participated in Patriots' Pen, a national youth essay contest for students in grades six to eight.

Lia Alfonso, Madie Skwarek, Claire Young, Jacob Clark, Nick Buczyna and Jacquelyn Kroll each student received a certificate and $100 gift. Kroll’s essay was chosen to move on to the regional competition.

The national first-place winner of the 300- to 400-word essay wins $5,000 and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. The first-place winner from each state competes for national awards totaling $55,000, with each first-place state winner receiving a minimum of $500 at the national level.

This year’s theme was “Why I Honor the American Flag.”

The principal, Robert Priest, accepted an award for the school in appreciation of its support of the Patriots' Pen essay contest.

For more information, visit www.stals-stpats.org.