The Devine VFW Post 3966 and Auxiliary hosted an awards ceremony and reception for the Patriots Pen, Voice of Democracy and Teacher of the Year participants, along with their families and Devine ISD Administrators. 
It was held on December 18, 2018 at 6:00pm in the VFW Hall with members of the VFW and Auxiliary serving an array of sandwiches, chips, drinks and cookies for refreshments for the large crowd of supporters prior to the awards.
There was an exceptionally large group of participants this year and members of the Post & Auxiliary expressed, “We are very proud of each and every one of these students and their teachers, and appreciate their hard work and dedication.” Each of the participants received a certificate and winners also received their scholarships, presented by Mr. Steve Lopez & Ms. Trudy Alger. Mr. Gary Saathoff served as the emcee.
The nationwide VFW student competitions are dedicated to recognizing students from the local post level to the state level. Both the Patriots Pen (6th-8th grades) and the Voice of Democracy (9th-12th grades) contests are dedicated to encouraging a better understanding and appreciation of America, as well as fostering patriotism among today’s youth. In the 2018 written and oral essay themes of Why I Honor the American Flag and Why My Vote Matters students were given an opportunity to express their views on the patriotic theme and prompts them to consider how democratic ideals and principles apply to their lives.
The Smart/Maher VFW National Citizenship Education Teacher Award recognizes America’s top classroom teachers who teach citizenship education topics regularly and promote America’s history and traditions effectively. These teachers promote civic responsibility, flag etiquette and patriotism, while instilling a sense of national pride in students. The VFW Post 3966 proudly awarded the Teacher of the Year for 2018 to Ms. Frances Navarro from Devine Middle School. Ms. Navarro was also the VFW District 13 Winner and advanced to the state competition.
*Post 3966 would like to thank all who helped with the contests and awards ceremony and encourages all students in 6th through 8th grades in public, private, and homeschools to participate in the 2019 essay competitions, which are due in October. Students may participate each and every year, unless they won first place at the state level. *Please continue to check in The Devine News for details later in the year.*
