GONZALES — The American Legion Auxiliary, Post 81, of Gonzales held an essay contest at Fairview Middle School with more than 35 students participating.
In collaboration with teacher Isaura Garcia-Oliva’s seventh- and eighth-grade English classes, the students were given the titles: “What Does It Mean to Be an American to Me?” (seventh) and “Why Do We Have the Constitution of the United States?” (eighth).
All students were presented with pocket Constitutions, donated by Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren. The first-place winners were presented with certificates from Lofgren, County Supervisor Chris Lopez and the American Legion Auxiliary Americanism Chair Lorraine Worthy. The winners were also given cash prizes from the Auxiliary.
The seventh-grade winners were Evangeline Garcia, first; Shaylah Gomez, third; and Nicolas Rios, second; and the eighth-grade winners were Liliana Velasquez-Dawson, second; Emma Mendoza, third; and Giancarlo Rodriguez, first.
