Grace Garcia represented the State of Illinois and place 5th in the National VFW Patriot's Pen Essay Contest. Her essay won at the local level at VFW Post 5151, moved to the 4th District level, and advanced to win at the state level--finishing 1st among 5,000 essays. The national award comes with a check for $2,500. Our entire community of teachers, students, and families, congratulates Grace on her amazing achievement!