Ken Korsu, Commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 1607, visited PHS in this spring to present awards to students who distinguished themselves in this year’s Voice of Democracy (VOD) Contest. This prestigious national competition challenges high school students to explore and articulate their views on democracy through original speeches and essays.

Congratulations to this year’s winners:

• 1st Place: Najla Shehu

• 2nd Place (Tie): Nora Grace Harvey, Stevie Bennett, and Stephen Guerin

• 3rd Place (Tie): Abigail Volpe, Rylen Brennan, and Alana E. Pierce

This year’s theme, “Is America Today Our Forefathers’ Vision?” asked students to reflect on the founding ideals of the United States and examine how those principles are reflected in today’s society.

The Voice of Democracy Scholarship Program was established in 1947 by the VFW and remains a cornerstone of civic education. Each year, more than 26,000 high school students nationwide submit audio essays for a chance to win a share of over $1.4 million in educational scholarships and incentives.

PHS is proud of all the students who participated and grateful to the VFW and Mr. Korsu for supporting civic engagement and student voices in such a meaningful way.

PHOTO CAPTIONS:
VOD 1: From left to right – Abigail Volpe, Stevie Bennett, Nora Harvey, and Dr. Jones.

VOD 2: Ken Korsu congratulates 1st place winner, Najla Shehu.

VOD 3: From left to right – Dr. Jones, Alana Pierce, Rylen Brennan, Stephen Guerin, Najla Shehu, and Ken Korsu and Peter Damato from VFW Post 1607.