Mrs. Kathy Conn and Mr. James Conn with the 2017-18 CHS Voice of Democracy Winners
Collinsville VFW presented awards to the 2017-18 Voice of Democracy Winners at Collinsville High School.
Mr. James Conn and Mrs. Kathy Conn coordinate the annual contest. They presented certificates to:
Hunter Schrage, First Place, $100
Kira Patrylak, Second Place, $75
Christopher Frey, Third Place $50
Kenneth Denson, Honorable Mention
Kaitlynn Schantz, Honorable Mention
This year’s Voice of Democracy theme was “American History: Hope for our Future.” In his first place essay, Hunter Schrage wrote:
“Coming from parents who work as a nurse and a firefighter/paramedic, I am no stranger to service to others. I remember when I was eleven years old, on the 10-year-anniversary of 9/11, my father took me to a 9/11 memorial to pay or respects to the fallen heroes of that day. Even at that tender age, I was touched. But, looking back on the event, hearing stories, I admire the way the American people bound together. The country had a choice. They could lose their morale and accept defeat or they could bind together and show those terrorists what America is all about. The American people chose the latter as we all know. People from all over the country drove to Ground Zero to help the search and rescue effort. Republican, Democrat, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, male, female and all other worked together as one to pull the injured away from the towers before they fell. We as a country, united and were successful working as one.”