On October 6, Thomas Metcalf student Lily Strode was recognized as the National Grand Champion for the 2022-2023 7th Grade Elks Americanism Essay Contest as she read aloud her essay with the theme “What is your American dream?” to her peers and teachers.
The Americanism Essay Contest is an annual writing competition held at the local, district, state, and national levels. It is geared towards 5th-8th grade students to promote patriotism among young people. The local Bloomington Elks Lodge #281 distributes information on the essay theme to all schools in Bloomington-Normal. Students write essays on the given theme and submit their work first for the local contest and then can move up through the competition, if their essay is selected.
“This essay was also an assignment, and it was the first assignment that we could not have peer edited or have input from our teacher or parents. So this essay was really the first time I had written something that was completely my own,” says Lily Strode. “Because of this, I feel very proud that I was able to do so well in the competition with something that was all mine.”
Lily won 1st place at the local and district level and 1st place at the state competition. Last May, she was honored at a banquet with the State Elks where she read her essay to over 100 Elks members. Her essay was then sent on to the national competition where she was named the 1st place Grand Champion for the 7th grade Americanism Essays.
“This has really been an amazing opportunity for Lily. It has reinforced the power of her words and given her more confidence in her writing,” said Camille Strode, Lily’s mom. “As parents, we are so proud to read her essay and see her shine. We appreciate Teresa Fowler at Metcalf and the Elks Lodge #281 in supporting Lily through this exciting process. We also appreciate Jennie Frank, Lily’s ELA teacher, and Metcalf school for encouraging and celebrating Lily’s success.”
