By By ERIN VER BERKMOES / Niles Daily Star
NILES - Area students get top honors.
Three eighth students from Ring Lardner Junior High School, in Niles, were named local winners in the 36th Annual America &Me Essay Contest.
The students who received the honors are, Bryanna Cramer, first; Rachel Smith, second and Heather Haas, third.
The 2004-2005 America &Me Essay Contest had a theme of "My American Hero"
The contest which was started in 1968, is sponsored by Farm Bureau Insurance. It is open to eighth graders all over the state of Michigan, with several thousand of them form about 500 different schools.
The contest is there to encourage Michigan's young people to explore their roll in the future of America.
By receiving first place Cramer's essay will now advance to the competition at the state level. From this point the top 10 essays in Michigan will be selected by one of Michigan's top government officials and the teachers who sponsored last years two winners.
The winners of this portion of the contest will be announced in April. They will receive plaques, cash and a $500 U.S. savings bond.
The top 10 finalists will also be honored with a banquet in Lansing and will have the chance to meet with some of Michigan's top governmental leaders, as well as be featured guests at a Lansing Lugnuts minor league baseball game, that will be dedicated in their honor.