Three eighth graders have been named local winners in the 39th annual America & Me Essay Contest, sponsored by Farm Bureau Insurance. They are Samantha Sternad (first place), Susie Stefani (second place), and Rebecca Broderick (third place). All three received award certificates for their achievement. As the school’s first place winner, Samantha’s name will also be engraved on a plaque for permanent display in the school. The Grosse Pointe Academy’s participation in the America & Me Essay Contest was sponsored by Farm Bureau Insurance agent Colleen Dyer of Grosse Pointe Woods.

Samantha’s first place essay now advances to the state level competition, from which the top ten essays in Michigan will be selected. The top ten statewide winners, who will be announced in April, will receive plaques, cash, and U.S. savings bonds valued from $500 to $1,000. In addition, the top ten essayists will be honored at a banquet in Lansing, meet with Michigan’s top governmental leaders, and be the featured guests at a Lansing Lugnuts minor league baseball game dedicated in their honor.

A team of finalist judges that includes a top Michigan Government official and the sponsoring teachers of last year’s top two statewide winners will determine the ranking of the top ten statewide winners this year.

Several thousand eighth grade students from over 500 Michigan schools participated in the 2007-2008 America & Me Essay Contest, which was conducted with the help of Farm Bureau Insurance agents across the state. The topic of the 2007-2008 contest was “My Personal Hero.”