Essay winners receive prizes

KENT — In conjunction with the Kent Lecture Series, the Kent Memorial Library sponsored an essay contest open to students at Housatonic Valley Regional High School. Students were asked to submit a 500-word essay reflecting upon the military figure whose service they thought was most inspirational.There was a $100 prize for the winning essay from a grade nine or 10 student and a $500 prize for the winning essay submitted by a grade 11 or 12 student. The winners were awarded their prizes at Colin Powell’s lecture on July 3 at Kent Center School.The winner of the $100 prize was Lakeville resident Monica Chin. The 15-year-old will be a junior at Housatonic this fall. Monica’s essay was about her grandfather, Wah G. Chin, who was an Asian immigrant in 1920 who rose to the top of his graduating class at Pennsylvania Military College and went on to receive a Bronze Star for his bravery and service.The winner of the $500 prize was Salisbury resident Denali “Hawk” Blumert, who will be a senior this fall. Hawk wrote about the poet Wilfred Owen, whose struggles during World War I inspired him to write inspirational words that helped soldiers deal with the “...stress and pain of the war experience.”

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