VFW Post 2152, Waltham, awarded $600 to our 2024-2025 Patriot’s Pen and Voice of Democracy contest winners. Post members generously voted to award $150, $100 & $50 to the first, second and third place contest winners, respectively. We received nine Patriot’s Pen essays and eight Voice of Democracy applications. For the first time in over a decade, we received entries for Voice of Democracy.  The Post donated an additional $50 to the Waltham Education and Beyond Foundation as a thank you to the John F. Kennedy Middle School staff for their continued support of Patriot’s Pen.     

First place Patriot’s Pen winner is Waltham resident Myleisy Guevara, a seventh-grade student at the Kennedy Middle School. Her uplifting essay shows that young voices can be engaging and heard as well as doing so in a respectful manner. Myleisy’s essay was so impressive that she was also chosen to be the District 18 Patriot’s Pen award winner. She placed fifth in the state contest overall.

Photo of the three Patriot's Pen awardees together on December 13, 2024 at the John F. Kennedy Middle School, Waltham, MA.  From left to right: