By Carol Azizian

Review Contributor

Three St. Joseph School eighth graders won awards in the 2021-22 America & Me Essay Contest, sponsored by Farm Bureau Insurance.

First place winner was Harrison Joyce, who wrote an essay about his grandfather, Jon Joyce, “an incredible man who lived life to the fullest.”

Harrison wrote that his grandpa “had many friends, he was a Lutheran pastor, a writer, an English professor at Urbana University, and he even wrote a speech for Neil Armstrong when the astronaut was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame.”

Second place winner was Meryl Karaba, who wrote about her older sister, Ellen, who is “the most dependable, encouraging, and accomplished person I’ve ever known…When I was debating whether I wanted to run for St. Joseph Student council vice president, she convinced me, telling me I would regret it if I didn’t run,” Ellen wrote.

Third place winner was Erin Eby, who wrote about her sister, Keelyn, who is “fearless, encouraging and strong.”

“When Keelyn was four, the doctors realized that the part of her brain that emptied fluid was not functioning properly. She had had migraines and seizures for four years of her life and still remained cheerful,” Eby wrote.

The doctors operated on her and she was doing well until 21 years later, when she had to have the surgery again because the shunt had broken.

“She showed how to remain positive and fearless even when things could go badly,” Eby wrote.

The winners will be honored at the SJS honors ceremony in June. The first-place winner’s essay advances to the statewide competition, from which the top 10 entries in the state will be selected. The statewide winners will be chosen in April.

Each winner receives a certificate. This is the 53rd year of the contest.