TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON—VFW Post 6192 honored local winners of its annual Patriot’s Pen and Voice of Democracy contests — along with three Teachers of the Year — during an education awards ceremony held Jan. 13 at Jack Woods Senior Center at municipal center.
The theme for both contests this year was “How are you showing patriotism and support for our country?” Post officials said the programs invite students to reflect on civic responsibility and American ideals through writing and recorded speech.
In the high school Voice of Democracy audio-essay contest, Maeve Dorfler, an 11th grader from Glen Rock at Immaculate Heart Academy, took first place. River Vale’s Madeline Schlereth, also an 11th grader at IHA, placed second, and Hillsdale’s Sara Campenot, a 10th grader at Pascack Valley High School, placed third.
Post officials said the top three received checks and Voice of Democracy medals: $500 and a gold medal for first place, $300 and a silver medal for second, and $200 and a bronze medal for third.
Dorfler wrote in part that “patriotism does not require wearing a uniform,” but rather grows out of “actions, respect and service.” Dorfler said she founded IHA’s Military Awareness Club during her sophomore year to help classmates better understand veterans and active-duty service members, drawing in part on her own family’s experience — both of her parents are veterans.
Through the club, she said, students have hosted guest speakers who served, marched with the VFW in Washington Township’s Memorial Day Parade, and found hands-on ways to show support, from writing letters to deployed soldiers to attending community ceremonies, including a Vietnam remembrance event that left her struck by how much simple gratitude can matter.
Schlereth, in her submission, described patriotism as using “a unique voice” in service of community. She recalled pushing for improvements after noticing a broken scoreboard at a town sports facility dedicated to a woman killed in action in the Vietnam War.
She wrote that she researched the honorees and sent letters to local officials until the scoreboard was repaired and the field better maintained.
Returning after the work was completed, she wrote, brought “the pride of what I had helped to accomplish” — and reinforced her belief that “everyone has the power to enact change.”
Campenot wrote that her understanding of patriotism shifted from something abstract to something personal during an eighth-grade class trip to Washington, D.C. A visit to Arlington National Cemetery, she said, brought a “mixture of pride and sadness” as she took in “the amount of graves that covered the landscape,” and the scale of sacrifice behind everyday freedoms.
Since then, Campenot said she has tried to translate that gratitude into action — raising more than $750 with other volunteers for the Disabled American Veterans, donating when she sees veterans collecting contributions, and writing holiday letters to deployed troops to help them feel remembered while serving away from family.
She also broadened the idea beyond military service, writing that patriotism includes helping neighbors at home — from contributing to school food and clothing drives to supporting efforts that improve life for Americans who are struggling.
“No matter how small the act,” she wrote, if it’s done “with kindness and the intention of bettering” the country, it can be a form of patriotism.
In the middle school Patriot’s Pen essay contest, Giza Miller-Pringle, an eighth grader at George White Middle School in Hillsdale, won first place. Janki Dobariya, a seventh grader at Westwood Regional Middle School, placed second, and Agna Patel, also a seventh grader at WRMS, placed third. Post officials said those winners received checks and Patriot’s Pen medals: $300 and a gold medal for first place, $200 and a silver medal for second, and $100 and a bronze medal for third.
Stephen Kalish, the post adjutant and education awards committee chairman, told attendees he chaired the selection committee alongside Lt. Col. Vince Tirri of the New Jersey Army National Guard recruiting battalion and Jim Gerbig, a former Navy officer and Naval Academy graduate.
Kalish, a former Army officer and a 1982 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, noted the contests draw broad participation nationally — with Patriot’s Pen typically welcoming tens of thousands of entries from students in grades 6–8, and Voice of Democracy drawing thousands of entries from students in grades 9–12.
The post also presented VFW Teacher of the Year honors — each with a $500 check and a certificate signed by Post Commander Thomas Sears — recognizing educators for their commitment to teaching citizenship, Americanism, and patriotism.
Honorees were Caitlin Bonanno of Immaculate Heart Academy (high school), AnnMarie Castellini of Westwood Regional Middle School (middle school), and Barnett Goldman of Washington Elementary School (elementary school).
Castellini moreover won Teacher of the Year at VFW District 2.
School representatives in attendance included IHA Principal Kerry Carroll, WRMS Principal Luisa Tamburri, Washington Elementary Principal Melissa Palianto, GWMS counselor Jennifer Reese, and PVHS counselor Frank Andrisani.
The evening’s program included welcoming remarks from Sears and an invocation by Father Ray Rodrigue of Our Lady of Good Counsel, dinner provided by Marc’s Deli & Pizzeria, and guest remarks from Washington Township Mayor Peter Calamari.
VFW District 2 representatives Bruce Young, district commander, and Warren Williams, district committee chairman, also offered comments before the ceremony concluded with group photos of the student and teacher awardees and post leadership.
VFW Post 6192 said its Voice of Democracy contest is open to students in grades 9–12 who attend Westwood Regional High School, Immaculate Heart Academy, or Pascack Valley High School, with local prizes awarded for first through third place. The post’s Patriot’s Pen contest is open to Westwood Regional Middle School students in grades 6–8, with entries typically due by Oct. 31.
The VoD & PP awardees were selected by a committee of VFW Post 6192 members who reviewed and scored each essay anonymously using criteria established by VFW National Headquarters. The ToY awardees were selected based on a review of the nominations that were submitted (one by an administrator and student, one by a teacher, and one by a parent).