Clarksville, TN – The William O. Beach Center at Veterans Plaza was packed recently for a luncheon and awards ceremony that honored the winners of the 25th Annual Kiwanis Interview a Veteran Essay Contest.
Kiwanis Club of Clarksville, TN, sponsors the contest and hosts the event each year, inviting the winning essayists, their teachers, family members, interview subjects, local leaders, and others to hear excerpts from the top essays of the more than 11,000 that were submitted.
Kiwanis Essay Chair Ron Smithfield started the contest 25 years ago, and again this year acted as emcee for the awards luncheon. After everyone had gotten their lunch and sat down, Smithfield welcomed them to the event, called for the Pledge of Allegiance, asked Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden to lead the invocation, then invited CMCSS’s Dr. Schanda Doughty to make a few comments.
“It is truly an honor to be here today, representing CMCSS and recognizing our student winners,” Doughty said. “This is the 25th anniversary of this opportunity for our students, and we’re excited that Kiwanis continues to offer this contest. This gives our students the opportunity not just to write an essay, but to connect with people in our community who have served and sacrificed. More than 50,000 CMCSS Students have now had the opportunity to sit down with Veterans and have conversations about their service.
“Doing so, gave them the opportunity to learn first-hand about dedication, bravery, and most importantly sacrifice. This project goes beyond education, and helps bridge the gap between generations. It allows our students to meet people who have made a difference in our country and in our community. And to our Veterans in the room, thank you for your service, … also, thank you for being willing to share your stories with our students.”
Middle School essayists wrote on the topic: What is the Veterans response to the importance of serving our country? Twelve students were invited to the luncheon, and presented awards. Four of them read excerpts from their essays.
Emery Gioielli’s essay was awarded Most Heroic. She couldn’t actually interview one of her subjects, his name is Rambo #9, and her father Joseph Gioielli was his handler.
Gioielli – “My veteran was Rambo #9, a dog. As a military kid, knowing my dad had a trustworthy partner to help him in combat made me feel better about his chances that he would come home safely. Rambo #9 discovered over 1,000 pounds if IED’s at once, and additional IED’s on other missions. If he had not found these IED’s, they could have caused injury and death to many civilians and soldiers. What would Rambo’s response be to serving our country. His partner, my dad, thinks his response would be that he was there to protect our Army, and more importantly, to protect my dad. Rambo’s emotional connection to my dad drove him to protect my dad, but little did he know he was helping others, as well as our country.”
Kenwood 8th-grader Ava Berry was the Grand Winner, with her essay on veteran Clifford Smith – “One particular experience that helped Mr. Smith really understand the importance of serving our country was deploying to Iraq after the 9/11 attacks. He saw first-hand how the people of Iraq had poor living conditions and not much freedom, because of the way their government ruled. He realized how great America is and how important our military is in protecting our freedoms.
The military helped the Iraqi citizens by giving them a better life. … In my last question I asked what advice he would give someone who is considering serving in the military. He replied, ‘it’s a big decision to serve in the military. My advice is, you have to commit to making the sacrifices that only a few are willing to. For us to continue to have the freedoms and liberties we all enjoy, a few must be brave enough to make those sacrifices, and strive to make a difference every day they serve. …”
Other speakers included Rossview 8th grader Asher Dziembowski, his essay was awarded Most Inspiring, and this year’s Grand Runner Up, Virtual Middle School’s Katelyn Morton with her essay on Veteran John Pather.
Other winners include Gabriel DeKay, Shanmukha Raghulapadu, Jasmine Smith, Valarie Rodriquez, Alia Khaleel, Andrew Singer, Omose Aisabokhae, and Addyson Boone.
This year’s High School Winners wrote on the topic What attributes of Veteran’s service inspire me to serve our nation in the future?
Clarksville Academy senior Molly Scoville’s interview with Veteran Nick Williamson received the award for Most Inspiring, and Northeast High School senior Peyton Ingram’s essay about Veteran Walter Ingram received the award for Most Heroic. West Creek High School senior Ce’Airrah Pearson was awarded Grand Runner Up, and JROTC’s Ericah Whitaker was named Grand Winner.
This year’s High School Grand Winner was Ericah Whitaker, a JROTC member. “My essay is about my JROTC instructor 1st Sgt (Ret.) Darrell Luckett,” Whitaker said. “He showed me what my worth was and he inspired me to want to actually do something with my life … Ron Smithfield had her read the last sentence of her essay, which he found to be most inspiring. Whitaker – “My ambition to become a Special Forces medical Sergeant is not just a personal goal, it’s a pledge. A pledge to honor the sacrifices of those who came before me and to make a positive impact on this world.”
Kiwanis Club gives special thanks to the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System, Clarksville Academy, and Fort Campbell Schools for their vital support.
John Hamric, Kiwanis Vice Chair, Military Service and Sacrifice Committee, said, “Ron Smithfield created this contest 25 years ago, and he has kept it going all these years. Leaders at each school asked their students to write an essay on a specific topic. Winners were then designated. Next, we judge the Most Heroic and Most Inspiring essays for middle school and high school, then present awards to the top 12 in middle school and the top 15 in high school.
“We have thousands every year who choose to submit essays. This grows about 5 – 10% each year. The topics get pushed out to the schools in April or May. By mid-October, the schools had determined their winners. There were 11,231 essays submitted this year. We have parents who come here and say, ‘I remember doing this 20 years ago when I was in school’. It’s a great tradition.”
Photo Gallery
