We are so excited to share the good news with you that two of our Gilbert Middle School students, sixth-graders Charlie Huntington and Betty Berger, were recognized as local and district winners in a recent essay contest!

All sixth-grade students were offered the opportunity to enter the “What the Flag Means to Me” essay contest, sponsored by the Iowa Elks Association, back in November. Huntington and Berger both earned first-place accolades, and they advanced onto the district contest.

And they won there too!

Now, the essays written by Huntington and Berger will advance on to the statewide contest for judging. We wish them nothing but the best of luck in the prestigious state contest.

With family members in attendance, both students received their certificates and prize money from local Iowa Elks Association members on Tuesday.

Congratulations to both students for their hard work and obviously amazing writing abilities, and congratulations to Mrs. Charlson and Miss Dunn, our sixth-grade language arts teachers, for their incredible leadership and guidance for our students.

We’ll report back if we have some state winners!