Saint Stephen’s Student Wins District Essay Contest and Scholarship

Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School Student Joseph Schneider, Class of 2015, has been selected as the first place winner in the Voice of Democracy Essay Contest hosted by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).

The Lakewood Ranch resident and Saint Stephen’s junior came across the award while searching for scholarship opportunities. After submitting his essay, Schneider received a phone call informing him that he had won first place for the local VFW Bradenton post, and for the entire district, which included more than 200 applicants.

“Joseph Schneider is not only a great student, but he is also very involved in our Saint Stephen’s Ambassador program,” said Dr. Janet Pullen, Head of School at Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School. “He regularly attends community events and is an overall model student. This is a great program and award, and we are very excited to have one of our own selected as the winner of this prestigious scholarship.”

The Voice of Democracy essay rules specify that students must submit a written and recorded broadcast script on an annual patriotic theme. The VFW founded the Voice of Democracy program in 1947 in order to provide students in high school with the opportunity to earn scholarships and express themselves in regards to democratic ideals and principals. Every year, more than 50,000 students across the nation enter the contest to win a share of the $2.3 million in educational scholarships awarded through the program.

Schneider will receive the award during a special presentation on Tuesday, December 17, 2013 at 7pm at the VFW Post 10141, located at 5105 Manatee Avenue in Bradenton. This event is open to the media.

Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School is a private, independent, co-educational, college preparatory school in Bradenton, FL. Saint Stephen’s delivers world-class education, excellent extracurricular experiences and exciting programs like AP course work, the iPad initiative, a band/strings program, a global education program, K-12 daily foreign language program and our Marine Science Initiative, to name a few.

Saint Stephen's sits on a gated, 35-acre campus, which includes a state of the art athletic center that hosts the school’s athletic events including football, track and field, lacrosse, baseball, softball, tennis and cheerleading. At every level, from PK3 through grade 12, students are nurtured in small classes and encouraged and supported in their academic pursuits. Students benefit from programs and educational models that have proven successful by Saint Stephen’s students who are excelling today in colleges and universities around the country. Saint Stephen's is proud of its rich academic offerings that go hand-in-hand with a strong college counseling program, a wide variety of competitive sports teams, a creative fine arts program, and many service learning opportunities. For more information about our school, please visit www.saintstephens.org.