CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Carson Nekic of All Saints of St. John Vianney receives national award for essay

News-Herald - 5/24/2022

May 24—The Women's Auxiliary of the Polish War Veterans recently sponsored an essay contest for eighth-grade students asking the question "should burning of the American flag be permitted?"

Carson Nekic, a Lake County student at All Saints School of St. John Vianney, placed second in the nation. He was given the national award on May 23 at Coulby Park in Wickliffe during an end-of-the-year picnic.

"I didn't expect it," Carson said. "I remember throwing it together in one day, trying to get it done before the end of class. I was telling myself to be original and don't write anything that I wouldn't write, and just write what I believe. I definitely wanted to research some of the statistics on different protests during the last year. Getting that data really helped me flow the essay like I wanted it to."

Every year, the Polish Legion of American Veterans has poster and essay contests. This year's topic, whether American citizens should be allowed to burn the American flag during a protest, was chosen due to the many protests occurring at the time, said Mits Dupay, national president of the Polish Legion of American Veterans.

"We get together at our national meeting and we throw topics out," Dupay said. "We vote on the topic, and the topic is given to schools. Each chapter can give it to a school and then they (the school) pick their winner. No judges can be from the organization, so their winner goes on to the state level. The same procedure happens and then that goes on to the national level."

At the national level, the Polish Legion has three women veterans from the Chicago area who are the final judges.

"What we have found is that unfortunately, because of the pubic curriculum with students, it seems we have to go to private and Catholic schools," Dupay said. "Each chapter has a youth and Americanism officer. They find a school and work with the school, find a teacher and then it proceeds down the line."

Students are judged on a variety of things including neatness, as essays cannot be typed, how much thought and originality they put into their essays and spelling. Special needs students receive extra points.

"We have to leave so many months in between essays being sent because we're in several states," Dupay said. "We have chapters in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. As far west as we go — Illinois and Wisconsin are basically the cut off."

Not until the winner is chosen does the Polish Legion go back to the teacher who then provides them with the name of the student before it's passed down the chain, making the essay contest anonymous, said Dupay, who was impressed by Carson's essay.

"I wish him well," Dupay said. "The entire class sent in an essay, so he had to beat out all his (classmates)."

Laura Daugherty, junior high language arts teacher at All Saints School and Carson's teacher, said Carson was deserving of the national award.

"He is a very humble child and a great writer," Daugherty said. "I've watched a lot of growth of him as a writer throughout the school year."

There wasn't anyone in the class who felt that the American flag should be allowed to be burned, including Carson, Daugherty said.

"It was nice to look at their essays of what they thought about a controversial topic, and it's great to see that the youth does value patriotism," Daugherty said.

Carson plans to pursue sports broadcasting or journalism in the future.

"He's worked really hard all through school and he's always been a really good writer," said Jennifer Nekic, Carson's mother. "We have a lot of veterans in our family. His stepbrother was in the Marines, my dad was in the Army, my uncle was in the Army, so we've always taught our kids that as one of our values, be proud of our country and respect what it stands for, and the people who fight to keep it free. I'm glad that came out in his essay."

"We're proud of him, and he's always been very conscientious," echoed Dave Nekic, Carson's father.

___

(c)2022 The News-Herald (Willoughby, Ohio)

Visit The News-Herald (Willoughby, Ohio) at www.news-herald.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.