At the Board of Selectmen (BOS) meeting on June 24, State Representative Noreen Kokoruda (R-101) recognized the winners of her Memorial Day Essay Contest with state citations and the opportunity for winners to read their speeches to the BOS.

This is the ninth year of the contest, according to Kokoruda, who said it is incumbent to have contests like this so that the older generation helps the younger generation understand the importance and significance of Memorial Day.

This year’s contest was opened to all middle school students to write an essay on “Why we honor gold star families.” The following students, broken down by school, are this year’s winners:

Brown School: Norah Stotz, Alexis Kuszpa, Shea Looby, Oliver Wilker, Lillian Miller, Jake Hanson, and Emma Strait

Country School: Cooper Burke, Meghan Brown, and Samantha Clare

OLM School: Amanda Coric, Julia Coric, Mia Lombardi, Pierce McMillan, Katie Miller, Aria Trotta