WELLS — In a ceremony honoring veterans with Wreaths Across America and Wells Junior High School students and staff present at Ocean View Cemetery on Dec. 7, six WJHS students were recognized for their writings and placement in the Veterans of Foreign War’s Patriot’s Pen youth essay contest for 2015. All six received a framed certificate awarded to them by WJHS Principal Chris Chessie and ELA eighth-grade teacher Julie Esch.

Patriot’s Pen is a national contest sponsored locally by VFW Post 6545 and Post Commander Ken Kingsley in Kennebunk. Interested sixththrough eighth-grade students write about their interpretation of a provided central theme. This year’s theme was, “What Does Freedom Mean to Me?”

Those from WJHS placing in the contest included eighthgrade student Ashleigh Bolduc who received second place, and seventh-grade student Natalie Hanagan who received third place. Those receiving honorable mention included sixth-grade student Sophie Killam, and eighth-grade students Grace Bradish, Hannah Bradish and Katie Plourde. These young writers are students of teachers Mary Rand, Marilyn Zotos and Julie Esch.

“The essays written this year conveyed a lot of emotion, and the student writers did a nice job of describing the constitutional rights ‘namely freedoms’ that make our country so special,” said Esch. “Many student writers have familial military ties; others are simply grateful for the men and women who protect, help, and safeguard their freedoms, past and present. I love this essay because it helps kids feel connected to something bigger than themselves; the written pieces and the connection they provide is well worth the effort.”

Shortly after the wreath ceremony, the Wreaths Across America convoy departed WJHS on its journey to Arlington, Virginia,with thousands of holiday wreaths to be placed at gravesites in Arlington National Cemetery and elsewhere.

According to the VFW website, vfw.org, 125,000 sixththrough eighth-grade students enter the Patriot’s Pen contest each year.