Crofton Middle Schooler Wins Essay Award

An eighth grader at Crofton Middle School recently won a national essay contest sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. 

Mariessa McKenna, age 13, won a $5,000 scholarship for her essay on the theme: "What I Would Tell America's Founding Fathers."

According to an announcement, McKenna wrote, "I would tell them the stories of Americans, most of whom will not be born until decades later, who will come to embody the American spirit" born when the Declaration of Independence was signed.

She went on to explain how she'd tell the founding fathers about Americans such as Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Buzz Aldrin.

"Though they may not believe me, I would tell them that while some of the delegates sitting in that room may see them as nothing but overconfident fools, that their actions that day would make them fifty-six of the bravest fools in history,” McKenna wrote. 

McKenna's essay was entered as part of the VFW's Patriot Pen program. She was sponsored by the VFW Post 8065 in Bowie.