Mallery Bee, Morgan Jurth and Benjamin Zivsak were the recent first, second and third place winners of the “America and Me” Essay Contest sponsored by Farm Bureau Insurance agent Rick Eder.
All three received award certificates for their achievement, and as the Beach Middle School’s first place winner, Bee’s name will be engraved on a plaque for permanent display in the school.
Her essay advances to the state level competition from which the top ten essays in Michigan will be selected. The top ten winners will be announced in April and each will receive a plaque, a medallion and a cash award of $1,000.
In addition, the top 10 essayists will be honored at a banquet in Lansing, meet with Michigan’s top government officials, and be the featured guests at a Lansing Lugnuts minor league baseball game dedicated in their honor.
Several thousand 8th-grade students from more than 400 Michigan schools participated in the contest and the topic was “My personal Michigan hero.”
Started in 1968 and open to all Michigan 8th-grade students, the contest encourages Michigan youngsters to explore the greatness of America and its people. As a sponsor of the contest, Farm Bureau Insurance has earned 11 national awards from the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge.
