Sikeston Elks Lodge 2319 contest winners named

SIKESTON — Sikeston Elks Lodge 2319 recently announced the winners of the annual Drug Awareness poster and essay contests as well as their Americanism essay contest.

The poster and essay competitions included entries from all over the southeast district, and the Sikeston Lodge was well represented, according to Bonnie Hagler with the Elks.

Amelia Sullivan, a student at Wing Elementary won third place in the district with her poster which is on display at the Sikeston Lodge. She is the daughter of Chris and Hailey Sullivan and received a cash prize of $50.

Gregory “Tripp” Foote, who is the son of Gregory and Kelly Foote of Sikeston, won first place in the district for his drug awareness essay and received a cash prize of $100. His district success moved him up to state competition, where he also won first place and a $300 gift card. Foote’s state win qualifies him for national competition at the Elks National Convention in July in San Antonio, Texas.

The topic of the Americanism Essay Contest was “What the Bill of Rights Means to Me.” Sikeston Elks Lodge had three first place district winners in their respective age groups: Jackson Priday, Addison Priday and Foote. All three of the contestants received cash prizes of $50. Jackson and Addison are the children of Jacob and Megan Priday of Sikeston.

Sikeston Elks Lodge 2319 holds both the Drug Awareness and Americanism contests annually.

“We are very proud to offer these opportunities to the youth of our area and has resulted in many great essays and posters,” Hagler said. “We look forward to continuing and expanding this great tradition and really appreciate the tremendous involvement of our local youth.”