Two Menands School sixth graders won the local Elks Americanism Essay contest.
Astrid McNamara took first prize and Nila Saravan claimed second prize for their essays on “What does ‘service to your country’ mean to me?”
Watervliet-Colonie Elks Lodge No. 1500 representative Colleen Quackenbush presented in mid-March McNamara and Saravan with gift cards for their winning entries.
In her winning entry, McNamara wrote that service to your country “means that you vote, make good economic decisions and be inclusive of others.”
Saravan wrote that service means “working hard and being proud of your country no matter the cost.”
McNamara said she was honored to win the contest.
“I am pretty proud of myself. I really worked hard on it and ran it by my mother and father a lot, and I am just happy,” she said.
Saravanan—who immigrated to the United States from India when she was 3 years -old—said she was surprised to have earned an award.
“I didn’t think I would win anything; I did it for fun and to improve my writing skills,” she said.
The Americanism Essay Contest is an annually held program of the national Grand Lodge Fraternal Committee. Winners at the local level advance to the district competition and have the opportunity to advance to the state and national events.