Flat Rock Middle School 6th grader Linda Ticha knows what patriotism means to her. Ticha is the county winner of the 2021 Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Patriot’s Pen essay contest.
The annual Patriot’s Pen program is open to all students in grades 6-8. Sponsored locally by VFW Post 9949 Peachtree City, every Fayette middle school has students participating, and, most years, there are around 200 applicants. With the support of a teacher, each applicant submits a 300-400 word essay on the given topic, with each essay read by at least three people on the review committee.
Among a wealth of competition, Ticha’s essay on the theme “What Patriotism Means to Me” was selected as the best in the county. Flat Rock Middle teacher Cheryl Busby supervised Ticha throughout the process.
For winning at the local post level, Ticha wins $200 and is entered at the district level. District winners move on to state, and state winners move on to the national level, where the national winner receives $5,000.
