Commander James Rebman of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post #308 recently announced the kick-off of this year’s VFW and its Ladies Auxiliary “Patriot’s Pen Essay Competition.”

Local middle school students in sixth through eighth grade can compete in the VFW’s annual essay competition for the potential to win thousands of dollars.

Students begin by competing at the local Post level. Post winners advance to the district level. District winners then compete in the state competition. The state winners compete for $46,000 in awards, and the first place winner wins $5,000. Each year, some 125,000 students participate nationwide.

Students are invited to write a 300- to 400-word essay on a patriotic theme. The theme for 2013-14 contest year is “What Patriotism Means to Me.”

Deadline for student entries is November 1. Students attending Reed Intermediate, Newtown Middle School, or St Rose of Lima School can check with their social studies teacher for further instructions. All essays should be written using Microsoft Word and sent by e-mail to their teacher. Home school students may contact the VFW by e-mail for further instructions at vfwpost308newtown@gmail.com.

For more information go to www.vfwpost308.com, and select the tab at the top of the screen marked “Programs.”