Beach Middle School had three winners in the 45th annual America and Me Essay Contest sponsored by Farm Bureau Insurance.
Eighth-grade winners were Nora Fahle, who took first place, Sarah Hintzen got second-place and Max Caselli won third place and received award certificates for their achievements.
Fahle’s name will be engraved on a plaque for permanent display in the school and her essay advances to the state level competition where the top 10 essays in Michigan will be chosen.
Those top 10 winners will be announced next month and each writer will receive a plaque, a medallion and a cash award of $1,000. In addition, the top 10 essay winners will be honored during a banquet in Lansing where they will meet some of Michigan’s government leaders. The winners also will be featured guests at a Lansing Lugnuts minor league baseball game dedicated in their honor.
Several thousand 8th-grade students from about 450 Michigan schools participated in the contest, which was conducted with the help of Farm Bureau Insurance agents across the state.
Farm Bureau Insurance agent Rick Eder of Chelsea sponsored the contest for Beach Middle School students.
The topic for this year’s contest was My Personal Michigan Hero.
As sponsor of the contest, Farm Bureau Insurance has earned 11 national awards from the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge.
