PLEASANT HILL – Emily Krauss, a Pleasant Hill High School student, is the state winner of the Voice of Democracy contest, which is held annually through the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Jody Reed, a science teacher at Creswell Middle School, was also awarded the VFW State-wide Teacher of the Year award.
At the Department of Oregon Voice of Democracy Banquet on Jan. 25, Bob Beck of the Creswell VFW Post 4039 announced the award winners. Krauss could not attend, so in February, Beck interrupted her class to award her the second-place award and $1,550 in scholarship money.
The Voice of Democracy program is a scholarship program for Veterans of Foreign Wars. 25,000 high school students compete for over $1 million in scholarships nationally. This year’s theme was “Is America Today Our Forefathers’ Vision?”
On March 3, the national winners were announced: Oregon’s winner, Ashlyn Dalton from Baker City, placed ninth in judging among the 53 state and territory winners. Krauss came in 10th.
