U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced the winner and top finalists in his annual State of the Union essay contest for Vermont high school students on Tuesday Jan. 20.
Leo Lehrer-Small, a sophomore at Mount Mansfield Union High School, was named the winner of the contest, which was judged by a panel of four Vermont teachers. Sanders called to congratulate Lehrer-Small on Friday.
Ryan Taggard of Brattleboro Union High School finished in second place. Two students – Hadley Menk of Champlain Valley Union High School and Craig Pelsor of Milton High School – tied for third place.
The contest is an opportunity for Vermont students to articulate what issues they would prioritize if they were president of the United States. “This contest is designed to engage Vermont’s high school students on the major issues facing the country. Once again, our students did an outstanding job,” said Sanders, who serves on the Senate education committee. “Our students are the future of our country and they must be involved in the discussion about where our country needs to go.”
This year, 454 students from 27 schools wrote essays of 250 words to 500 words detailing their own view of the state of the union. A panel of Vermont teachers reviewed the submitted essays and selected the top 20 essays, which were named as finalists. To honor their accomplishments, each of the finalists’ essays will be entered into the Congressional Record.
Sanders will meet with the 20 finalists during a roundtable discussion to discuss the issues they wrote about in their essays. The roundtable has been scheduled for 10am Saturday, Jan. 31 in the Statehouse in Montpelier. The senator will also hold a town meeting at the school of the winning essay writer.
“Each year, I am impressed by the range of issues students write about, but more so by their solutions,” said Jason Gorczyk, who teaches A.P. Politics at Milton High School and has served as a judge in Sanders’ essay contest for two years. “The State of the Union contest is a great place for them to blend their education with their beliefs.”
CVU students Caroline Arthaud and Kathy Joseph were finalists in this year’s essay contest.
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