Sarah Bosworth, a seventh grade student at Snoqualmie Middle School, has won the Puget Sound’s district level of the Patriot’s Pen essay contest, and will move on to regional competition, at the state level.

The VFW-sponsored Patriot’s Pen contest encourages students in grades six to eight, nationwide, to write a patriotic essay on a selected theme each year. “Are You Proud of Your Country?” is the theme of this year’s contest.

Three other SMS students, Graysen Kaess, Lindsey Sydnor and Courteney Carr also had winning essays in the first round of the competition, in November. SMS students wrote four of the five winning essays selected by the Redmond-based VFW Post 2995 Ladies Auxiliary.

SMS language arts teacher Rene Peterson congratulated Bosworth, saying “While we have always had students who ‘place’ in some way on the local level of the Patriot’s Pen contest, this is the first time a student from our district has ever gone beyond the district level of the competition.”

The top 46 state-level winners in the contest can earn $1,000 savings bonds. The first-place national Patriot’s Pen essay winner receives a $10,000 savings bond plus an all-expense paid trip with his/her parent to Washington D.C.