MENDOTA – Each year the Mendota Elks Lodge hosts an Americanism essay contest where students can write an essay that answers that year’s topic. This year the topic was “What Does Patriotism Mean to Me.” The top three advance on to the District competition. Then the top three from the District advance to the State level. This year’s winners are:

6th Grade Mendota Elks Lodge Winners – 1st place, Ally Tillman, Holy Cross; 2nd place, Brooklyn Mauch, Holy Cross; 3rd place, Paul Hochstatter, Holy Cross

6th Grade Great Northwest District Winners – 1st place, Brooklyn Mauch, Holy Cross; 2nd place, Paul Hochstatter, Holy Cross; 3rd place, Ally Tillman, Holy Cross

Each month the Mendota Elks Lodge selects one male and one female from the senior students that are nominated from the local high schools to be the Teen of the Month. At the end of the year these schools nominate one male and one female for the Mendota Elks Teen of the Year. The lodge winners then compete at the district level and if a winner moves to the state level. This year’s winners are:

September – Dessa Komitas, Mendota High School, and Nathan Siri, Bureau Valley High School

October – Jillian Anderson, Ohio High School, and Gavin Pinter, Princeton High School

November – Shelby Bentley, Mendota High School, and Cade Odell, Princeton High School

December – Izabella Birkey, Bureau Valley High School, and Landon Hulsing, Bureau Valley High School

January – Aiden Besler, Bureau Valley High School, and Samantha Woolley, Princeton High School

February – Elin Workman, Princeton High School, and Kaleb Workman, Bureau Valley High School

Mendota Elks Teens of the Year – Samantha Woolley, Princeton High School, and Nathan Siri, Bureau Valley High School

Great Northwest District Teen of the Year – Nathan Siri, Bureau Valley High School

Illinois Elks Teen of the Year – 1st place, Nathan Siri, Bureau Valley High School